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
Instead of trying to check me, just tighten up your circle.
—
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025
So employment sort of tightened up, and that meant employers had to offer slightly higher salaries to both recruit and retain their employees.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 10 July 2025
There are a few practical ways to tighten up the process.
—Juliana Berger, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Indiana's ability to rally late in games does funny things to opponents, who tighten up and stop playing the way that built their leads.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tighten up
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Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025
So employment sort of tightened up, and that meant employers had to offer slightly higher salaries to both recruit and retain their employees.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 10 July 2025
There are a few practical ways to tighten up the process.
—Juliana Berger, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Indiana's ability to rally late in games does funny things to opponents, who tighten up and stop playing the way that built their leads.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 June 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 7 Aug. 2025.
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