tighten

verb

tight·​en ˈtī-tᵊn 

tightened; tightening ˈtīt-niŋ 

ˈtī-tᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

: to make tight or tighter

intransitive verb

: to become tight or tighter

tightener

ˈtīt-nər

ˈtī-tᵊn-ər 

noun

Phrases

tighten one's belt

: to practice strict economy

Synonyms of tighten

• tense
• stretch

Examples of tighten in a Sentence

She tightened her hold on the handle.

tighten the straps on the backpack so that the load doesn't shift while hiking

Recent Examples on the Web

Marking identified a need for the district to change its attitude toward unregulated spending and tighten internal controls that will allow more board control over spending approvals. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025

The system not only identified the optimal torque range for tightening bolts, but also recommended which additional tests engineers should prioritize. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2025

It was also updated to clarify that Buchmann meant margins in western Wyandotte were small enough to indicate that the race couldn’t tighten. —Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025

Human as the Premium Automation moves fastest through tasks designed to be predictable, which is why standardized roles are tightening. —Neel Somani, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1727, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing tighten

• tighten/put the thumbscrews on
• tighten the noose
• tighten the purse strings
• tighten the screws
• tighten up

Rhymes for tighten

• brighten
• chitin
• frighten
• heighten
• lighten
• phaeton
• titan
• triton
• whiten
• enlighten
• exciton
• periphyton

Kids Definition

tighten

verb

tight·​en ˈtīt-ᵊn 

tightened; tightening ˈtīt-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to make or become tight or tighter

tightener

-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

noun