as in tying
to attach (someone or something) to something else by or as if by means of a line or cord
I tethered the boat to the dock before coming ashore.
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Recent Examples of tethering
The policy includes other restrictions as well, such as bans on tethering during weather advisories or at night.
—
David Clarey, jsonline.com, 29 Jan. 2026
One delayed tethering himself to Cignetti — a Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America defensive back.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026
Either option requires a hospital stay of around two to three days, and the recovery afterward can be shorter for tethering.
—Kate Snow, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
It was designed to give employers leverage over foreign workers by tethering their immigration status to their job.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Those questions from reporters may soon be the last thing left tethering the President to at least some form of reality.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
Just a few kilometers away, a black bear sniffs and studies the device tethering it to a tree.
—Ganesh Marín, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
Thanks to the tethering process, his memories of the last year have been wiped, leaving only a man known as Red, a ruthless shadow and former contract killer for a cruel, mercurial billionaire.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Rather than tethering them to screens, students prototyped with cardboard, paper, and recycled materials.
—Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
David Clarey, jsonline.com, 29 Jan. 2026
One delayed tethering himself to Cignetti — a Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America defensive back.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026
Either option requires a hospital stay of around two to three days, and the recovery afterward can be shorter for tethering.
—Kate Snow, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
It was designed to give employers leverage over foreign workers by tethering their immigration status to their job.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Those questions from reporters may soon be the last thing left tethering the President to at least some form of reality.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
Just a few kilometers away, a black bear sniffs and studies the device tethering it to a tree.
—Ganesh Marín, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
Thanks to the tethering process, his memories of the last year have been wiped, leaving only a man known as Red, a ruthless shadow and former contract killer for a cruel, mercurial billionaire.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Rather than tethering them to screens, students prototyped with cardboard, paper, and recycled materials.
—Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tethering
Verb
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That meant Grove was the U’s only post player, and the Alexandria native stepped up against Ducks’ 7-footer Nate Bittle with a career high 13 points and a team-high-tying eight rebounds.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
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That could be because this form of brain training appears to trigger something called implicit learning, which involves acquiring unconscious or automatic skills, like swimming or tying a shoelace.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When language that sounds intentional, personal, and binding can be produced at scale by a speaker who bears no consequence, the expectations listeners are entitled to hold of a speaker begin to erode.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
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But his resolution — which is not binding — is fairly unusual in its call for fasting, which, more than prayer alone, tends to prompt self-reflection, said Monks, who belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After being outplayed by the home side for nearly all of the first half, Leeds took only four minutes of the second period to take the lead, Lukas Nmecha lashing home brilliantly from the edge of the penalty area.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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The carnivorous mammal's teeth-baring image suggests a wilderness pushed to the margins and lashing out.—
Felicia Feaster,
AJC.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tethering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tethering. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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