Definition of tightennext
as in to tense
to draw tight tighten the straps on the backpack so that the load doesn't shift while hiking

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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 tighten Designed to work across a wide range of skin tones, the translucent pigments deliver a soft-focus glow while ingredients like arnica flower extract help calm puffiness, squalene replenishes hydration, and caffeine tightens and depuffs. Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026 When the ban was upheld, Machado named historian Corina Yoris as her stand-in candidate—a move widely seen as a protest against Maduro’s tightening control over Venezuela’s electoral system. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 5 Jan. 2026 That could mean tightening sanctions on remaining power brokers, expanding strikes against security installations and militias, covertly supporting insurgent factions, and using Maduro’s prospective trial as a global stage on which to delegitimize Chavismo once and for all. Robert Muggah, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026 Most everyone’s leaning on the line that P/E ratios are poor timing tools, companies have more resilient business models today than in the past and valuation rarely gets in the way when profits are rising and the Fed not tightening. Michael Santoli, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tighten
Verb
  • Keeping in the same position for a long period of time, especially if cramped or uncomfortable, can also lead to muscles tensing up and feeling tight.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
  • Studios in collaboration with Banijay’s DLO Producciones, tracks the rise of the founding leader of Los Miami, a gang which controlled Madrid’s insatiable ‘90s drug business, tensed by sudden explosive violence, and the drug-lord’s multiple near-death experiences.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Just as Victor appeared to break open, Jackson leaped into the air, stretched his right arm skyward and pulled down a dazzling one-handed catch at the 3-yard line.
    The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, which represents hundreds of air cargo companies, said flight reductions will worsen the disruption already being felt across the aviation sector as the federal government shutdown stretches on.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tighten. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

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