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 tightened
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 16 Mar. 2026
Stuttgart tightened its hold on a Champions League qualifying spot in fourth, opening up a three-point gap to Leipzig in fifth.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
But in the nineteen-nineties, as regulations tightened, local interest waned.
—Boyce Upholt, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
The full-length dress featured a high neckline and long sleeves that dropped in a looser line through the upper arm and tightened again at the cuffs.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 14 Mar. 2026
That shortfall may have tightened the liquidity available to meet redemptions.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
First, regulators tightened lending standards.
—M. Nolan Gray, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Economic conditions in Cuba have rapidly deteriorated since the US tightened its oil embargo.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Military bases across California have tightened security since the conflict began, requiring more stringent visitor identification, checks at gates and warning of traffic delays.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Wolves’ defense had tightened.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 16 Mar. 2026
Stuttgart tightened its hold on a Champions League qualifying spot in fourth, opening up a three-point gap to Leipzig in fifth.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
But in the nineteen-nineties, as regulations tightened, local interest waned.
—Boyce Upholt, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
The full-length dress featured a high neckline and long sleeves that dropped in a looser line through the upper arm and tightened again at the cuffs.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 14 Mar. 2026
That shortfall may have tightened the liquidity available to meet redemptions.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
First, regulators tightened lending standards.
—M. Nolan Gray, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Economic conditions in Cuba have rapidly deteriorated since the US tightened its oil embargo.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Military bases across California have tightened security since the conflict began, requiring more stringent visitor identification, checks at gates and warning of traffic delays.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tightened
Adjective
-
For working class voters with inflexible work schedules, limited transportation and scarce childcare, adding a document requirement is not a neutral inconvenience.—
Kica Matos,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The technique was inextricably bound to his worldview as a prober and philosopher uncommitted to absolute truth or inflexible morality; in Preminger’s world, there are always myriad perspectives that, if not equally valid, are equally considered.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Everyone in the barber shop flinched at the sound and tensed their shoulders.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Magyar, with a firm background inside the European Union’s legislative body, has characterized the Hungarian government’s continuous feuds with Western Europe as a crisis for the nation.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Democratic opposition to the bill is firm Democrats and many groups that champion voter access say there is little evidence of noncitizens voting and say the bill would disenfranchise millions of voters — including Republicans — by creating new burdens to prove citizenship.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Unseasonably high temperatures hit US Parts of California and Arizona were under extreme heat warnings again Saturday while sweltering summerlike weather even stretched as far north as Nebraska just a day into spring.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
-
During ejection, a moon’s orbit can become highly elongated, generating strong tidal forces as it is repeatedly stretched and compressed by its host planet.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Yet the music industry can move at an unyielding clip, particularly when artists are rocketing to stardom like Young was.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The breath of air, and the freedom of movement, only reinforce the moral asphyxiation taking place inside—and emphasize the unyielding authority sustaining the city’s public life.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
What can’t be easily seen or measured but can impact recovery as much as a weak muscle or stiff joint are the psychological aspects.—
Ian McMahan,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Maybe the second text feels stiff, like it was written by an acquaintance.—
Laura Aull,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
All around the skiff, pink river dolphins pop up for air, their taut blush bodies arcing briefly before vanishing with barely a splash.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Her joints ached, and her legs were frequently taut with fluid.—
Jason Liebowitz,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a bohemian vibe radiating from Serena & Lily’s Kittery rug, but the rigid grid motif lends the design some structure, a detail that can appeal to more formal design personalities.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Without a rigid crystal structure getting in the way, the magnetic domains can reorient much more freely when the magnetic field changes.—
Etiido Uko
March 17,
New Atlas,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tightened. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
