Meanings
present singular third person tightens · participle present tightening · participle past tightened · past tightened
- transitiveTo make tighter.
Please tighten that screw a quarter-turn.
1 more example
Just where I please, with tighten;d rein / I'll urge thee round the dusty plain.
1760, Francis Fawkes, Works of Anacreon, Sappho, Bion, Moschus, and Musæus translated into English by a gentleman of Cambridge - intransitiveTo become tighter.
That joint is tightening as the wood dries.
- economicsTo make money harder to borrow or obtain.
If the government doesn't tighten the money supply, inflation is certain to be harsh.
- economicsTo raise short-term interest rates.
The Fed is expected to tighten by a quarter-point.
Synonyms & antonyms
antonym(s) of “make tighter”
verbseverely restrict in scope or extent
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishtyhtan
- Middle Englishtighten
- Englishtighten
Synchronically equivalent to tight + -en, but actually derived from Middle English tighten, from Old English tyhtan, thus originally unrelated to tight (Old English *þiht).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic شَدَّ, ضَيَّقَ
- شَدَّ (šadda)to make tighter
- ضَيَّقَ (ḍayyaqa)to make tighter
- حَبَكَ (ḥabaka)to make tighter
Bulgarian стягам, опъвам
- стягам (stjagam)to make tighter
- опъвам (opăvam)to make tighter
- стягам се (stjagam se)to become tighter
- опъвам се (opăvam se)to become tighter
Catalan cenyir
- cenyirto make tighter
Czech dotáhnout, utáhnout
- dotáhnoutto make tighter
- utáhnoutto make tighter
Dutch aandraaien, strakker maken
- aandraaiento make tighter
- strakker makento make tighter
- strakker doento make tighter
Finnish kiristää, tiukentaa
- kiristääto make tighter
- tiukentaato make tighter
- kiristyäto become tighter
- tiukentuato become tighter
- kiristääto make money harder to obtain
- nostaa korkoato raise interest rate
- korottaato raise interest rate
French serrer, se resserrer
- serrerto make tighter
- se resserrerto become tighter
- resserrer les tauxto raise interest rate
German anziehen, straffen
- anziehento make tighter
- straffento make tighter
Greek σφίγγω
- σφίγγω (sfíngo)to make tighter
Hungarian szorít, feszül
- szorítto make tighter
- feszülto become tighter
Irish dlúthaigh, dlúthaigh
- dlúthaighto make tighter
- dlúthaighto become tighter
Italian stringere
- stringereto make tighter
Latin stringō
- stringōto make tighter
Lithuanian veržti
- veržtito make tighter
Māori whakakikī, nonoti
- whakakikīto make tighter
- nonotito make tighter
- whakawhenato make tighter
Polish zacieśniać, zacieśniać się
- zacieśniaćto make tighter
- zacieśniać sięto become tighter
Portuguese apertar
- apertarto make tighter
Romanian strânge
- strângeto make tighter
Russian натя́гивать, натяну́ть
- натя́гивать (natjágivatʹ)to make tighter
- натяну́ть (natjanútʹ)to make tighter
- затя́гивать (zatjágivatʹ)to make tighter
- затяну́ть (zatjanútʹ)to make tighter
- натя́гиваться (natjágivatʹsja)to become tighter
- натяну́ться (natjanútʹsja)to become tighter
- затя́гиваться (zatjágivatʹsja)to become tighter
- затяну́ться (zatjanútʹsja)to become tighter
Spanish apretar, tensar
- apretarto make tighter
- tensarto make tighter
- ceñirto make tighter
- ajustarto make tighter
- cincharto make tighter
- tensarseto become tighter
- endurecer la política monetariato make money harder to obtain
Swedish dra åt
- dra åtto make tighter
Turkish sıkmak, daralmak
- sıkmakto make tighter
- daralmakto become tighter
- darlaşmakto become tighter
- kısmakto make money harder to obtain
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tighten
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
tighten. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tighten
“tighten.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tighten. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tighten,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tighten.
Source: tighten on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.