as in tight
stretched with little or no give
a taut clothesline
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Recent Examples of taut
One veteran who maintained momentum this year is Kathryn Bigelow, returning to features after an eight-year absence with A House of Dynamite, which showed no rustiness in its command of the taut, visceral suspense that had distinguished The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty and Detroit.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 Nov. 2025
Despite being sacked five times behind a patchwork offensive line, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 220 yards and connected with Ladd McConkey (four catches, 107 yards) on a touchdown to eventually break open a taut game with limited scoring for much of the night.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Nov. 2025
When considering his crimes or getting ready to commit another, Chernus’s eyes grow cold, his voice deep and sharp, his body language more taut and authoritative.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Martin, who is fifty-four, is the most commercially successful songwriter of the twenty-first century; his work is meticulous and precise, and his songs are taut, balanced, unyielding.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taut
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 Nov. 2025
Despite being sacked five times behind a patchwork offensive line, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 220 yards and connected with Ladd McConkey (four catches, 107 yards) on a touchdown to eventually break open a taut game with limited scoring for much of the night.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Nov. 2025
When considering his crimes or getting ready to commit another, Chernus’s eyes grow cold, his voice deep and sharp, his body language more taut and authoritative.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Martin, who is fifty-four, is the most commercially successful songwriter of the twenty-first century; his work is meticulous and precise, and his songs are taut, balanced, unyielding.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taut
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taut
tight
Adjective
-
Loveland caught eight passes for 137 yards for the Bears, who had closed the regular season with tight losses to San Francisco and Detroit.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
As temperatures drop and humidity plummets, the skin’s natural moisture levels decline faster, fine lines look more pronounced, and that tight, uncomfortable feeling can become a near-daily occurrence.—
Colleen Sullivan,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taut.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taut. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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