Meaning & use
tighten
To make something firmer, tauter, or more secure, or to become stricter.
See it in a sentence
He tightened the bolts on the bicycle wheel before the long ride.
The company tightened its spending after profits fell last quarter.
A note on using this word
Tighten applies both to physical objects, like a screw, and to abstract things, like rules, budgets, or security.
Words with a similar meaning
fastentense
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
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