as in to tighten
to draw tight he tautened the rope and then tied it off

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tauten From that queasiness comes bristly tension, tautening and deepening what otherwise seems a low-key, low-stakes character study, and eventually a sweet, conciliatory sliver of hope too. Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 Feb. 2023 Pimples pop, pupils dilate, tendons tauten, and breathing gets so shallow that people fall into respiratory acidosis. John Pearley Huffman, Car and Driver, 20 Apr. 2022 Those systems use hydraulics or electromagnetic fluids to soften or tauten the ride. Jack Stewart, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2018 BMW’s adaptive dampers stifle road imperfections and tauten the 5 Series for hard cornering. Miles Branman, Orange County Register, 26 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tauten
Verb
  • And the race could tighten further if Sliwa exits the race.
    Amie Parnes, The Hill, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Previous polls had shown Spanberger ahead by wider margins, signaling a tightening race over the past month.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Muscles get tensed and strained.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The muffled, percussive sounds of the firing range could be heard through the walls, and my body tensed with every pop.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tauten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tauten. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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