Meaning & use
tighten up
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Meanings
verbphrasal verb
To make something firmer or closer by turning, pulling or fastening it more.
Grammar: Takes an object: tighten up the bolts.
Patterns
- tighten something up
- tighten up something
Tighten up the straps before you start cycling.
Can you tighten the screws up a bit?
He tightened up the knot so it would not slip.
verbphrasal verb
To make rules, controls or procedures stricter or more careful.
Grammar: Often with on: tighten up on security.
Patterns
- tighten up on something
- tighten something up
The airline tightened up its baggage rules last year.
Schools are tightening up on phone use in class.
We need to tighten up our spending.
verbphrasal verbinformal
To improve something such as writing or a performance by removing weak or loose parts.
Grammar: Works with or without an object: tighten up the essay; the band tightened up.
Patterns
- tighten something up
- tighten up
The editor asked me to tighten up the second paragraph.
The team tightened up in defense after halftime.
Your argument needs tightening up.
Word forms
| third person singular | tightens up |
|---|---|
| past tense | tightened up |
| past participle | tightened up |
| -ing form | tightening up |
Common combinations
- tighten up security
- The museum tightened up security after the theft.
- tighten up on rules
- The club tightened up on rules for guests.
- tighten up a screw
- Tighten up the screw with a wrench.
- tighten up the budget
- We must tighten up the budget this winter.
- tighten up the writing
- A good editor can tighten up the writing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tighten
- It is slightly less casual and does not carry as strong an idea of improving or completing a job.
- strengthen
- It means make stronger, not necessarily stricter or firmer.
- crack down
- It is more forceful and used only for punishing rule-breakers, not for fixing screws or writing.
- streamline
- It means make smoother and more efficient, rather than firmer.
Opposites
Word family
Practice
After the fraud case, the bank decided to ______ its checks on large transfers.
Choose one answer.
After fraud, a bank would make its checks stricter, which is tighten up. Loosen up makes them weaker, and the other two phrases do not describe strictness.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tighten up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.