Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive & intransitive verb To make or become tight or tighter.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To make tight; draw tighter; straiten; make more close in any manner; constrict.
- To become tight; be drawn tighter.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To draw tighter; to straiten; to make more close in any manner.
- transitive verb (Mach.) a pulley which rests, or is forced, against a driving belt to tighten it.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To make
tighter . - verb intransitive To become tighter.
- verb economics To make money harder to borrow or obtain.
- verb economics To raise short-term interest rates.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb restrict
- verb narrow or limit
- verb become tight or tighter
- verb make tight or tighter
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I can’t, she thought, watching his expression tighten with anger.
A PROPER AFFAIR VICTORIA MALVEY 2001
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Otis saw the youngster's expression tighten and knew it had nothing to do with the difficulties of the game.
The Last Starfighter Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- Last starfighter 1984
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So I don't think anybody thinks the moment is to tighten is today.
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We winos are having to tighten, which is to say loosen, our belts.
New Statesman 2009
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He said their mission was to set up checkpoints and "tighten" the area around the protest, but "there have been attempts to agitate the officers."
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If the race continues to 'tighten' at this rate, Obama is looking at a 15-point blowout.
TPM Track Composite: Obama's Big Lead Inches Up Yet Again 2009
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In 1986 when Amnesty was passed they promised to "tighten" the border, and enforce laws, same hollow sentiments by the same hollow shills.
Hoodwinked by the Most Extraordinary Combination of Circumstances 2007
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Hoodwinked by the Most Extraordinary Combination of Circumstances yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Hoodwinked by the Most Extraordinary Combination of Circumstances'; yahooBuzzArticleSummary = 'Article: In 1986 when Amnesty was passed they promised to "tighten" the border, and enforce laws, same hollow sentiments by the same hollow shills.'
Hoodwinked by the Most Extraordinary Combination of Circumstances 2007
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"In meets, I just kind of tighten up and don't do things correctly," he says.
USATODAY.com - Understated decathlete Pappas faces 10 the hard way 2004
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Should you choose to "tighten" the Civil War authenticity, I can recommend "The Bloodiest Day" in the Time-Life series.
so I went to my writer's meeting today.... Holly 2005
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