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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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 In the first seven months of 2024, as the United States and foreign partners considered whether and how to tighten controls, China imported roughly $26 billion worth of chip-making equipment, a record amount. Nikita Lalwani, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2025 Clamp mounts can be clumsy depending on the design, but the best ones have a button or twist knob for relaxing the tightening mechanisms that hold the phone in place. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025 At his inaugural Black and White Ball, Mayor Fisk tightens his grip on New York City. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025 The school later agreed to most of Trump’s demands, from tightening student protest policies to placing an entire academic department under administrative oversight – though the funding remains frozen. Iveta Silova, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tighten

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“Tighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tighten. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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