tighten up
phrasal verb
tightened up; tightening up; tightens up
: to become more strict or effective or to make (something) more strict or effective
Security around the building has tightened up recently.
They tightened up security around the building.
Examples of tighten up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Every aspect of this unit needs to tighten up.
—
Omar Kelly
november 23, Miami Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
Offenses, pinned back against their own end zone, can tighten up.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
How to Watch Ravens vs Browns The Baltimore Ravens enter this game with momentum, having tightened up considerably on defense over the past month.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
The dough will tighten up into a round.
—Katie Parla, Saveur, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tighten up
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Omar Kelly
november 23, Miami Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
Offenses, pinned back against their own end zone, can tighten up.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
How to Watch Ravens vs Browns The Baltimore Ravens enter this game with momentum, having tightened up considerably on defense over the past month.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
The dough will tighten up into a round.
—Katie Parla, Saveur, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tighten up
Cite this Entry
“Tighten up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tighten%20up. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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