tighten up

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

And in China, Hill noted the progress the new leadership team has made over the past six months, and detailed plans to tighten up the region’s digital channels and refresh physical doors. — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2026

First, given the increasing use of AI agents, every organization involved in internet infrastructure, from large technology companies to small websites, needs to conduct audits and tighten up its internal security systems. — Deven Desai, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026

Now attorneys for the former action hero, 79, are requesting that court officials and law enforcement set up security protocols; disallow photography, video or audio recording; and tighten up who’s allowed in the courtroom. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

The Seminoles tightened up toward the end of the half and had three sacks. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for tighten up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup