tame

1 of 3

adjective (1)

ˈtām How to pronounce tame (audio)
tamer; tamest
Synonyms of tame
1
: reduced from a state of native wildness especially so as to be tractable and useful to humans : domesticated
tame animals
2
: made docile and submissive : subdued
3
: lacking spirit, zest, interest, or the capacity to excite : insipid
a tame campaign
tamely adverb
tameness noun

tame

2 of 3

verb

tamed; taming

transitive verb

1
a
: to reduce from a wild to a domestic state
b
: to subject to cultivation
c
: to bring under control : harness
2
: to deprive of spirit : humble, subdue
… the once revolutionary … party, long since tamed …—The Times Literary Supplement (London)
3
: to tone down : soften
tamed the language in the play

intransitive verb

: to become tame
tamable adjective
or tameable
ˈtā-mə-bəl How to pronounce tame (audio)
tamer noun

tamable

3 of 3

adjective (2)

tam·​able
variants or tameable
ˈtāməbəl How to pronounce tamable (audio)
: capable of being tamed
tamableness noun
plural -es

Synonyms of tame

Relevance

Adjective (1)

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of tame in a Sentence

Adjective (1) The island's birds are quite tame. They ran a pretty tame campaign. Some people were shocked by the movie, but I found the story pretty tame. Members of the audience were too tame to interrupt the speaker. Verb It took a while to tame the horse. the people who tamed the Wild West He struggled to tame his temper. The government needs to do something to tame inflation.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
Thursday's print follows a tame reading on consumer inflation, with the consumer price index coming in line with economist expectations. — Sean Conlon,joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026 Here are 10 great, comparatively tame stunts to introduce your kids to the cringe-inducing fun of Jackass… but make sure there’s a spot behind the couch handy with which to hide, just in case. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Verb
The Salt River's first major dam, Roosevelt Dam, was completed in 1911 in an effort to tame erratic flows and wrangle its water for the nascent farming communities downstream. — Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026 The composure of Amélie, and the decidedly wild and clownish manner in which she’s painted, can’t be tamed into order, elegance, or beauty. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tame

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English, from Old English tam; akin to Old High German zam tame, Latin domare to tame, Greek damnanai

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tame was before the 12th century

Rhymes for tame

See All Rhymes for tame

Browse Nearby Words

tamburone
tame
tame cat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tame. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

tame

1 of 2 adjective
ˈtām How to pronounce tame (audio)
tamer; tamest
1
: changed from the wild state so as to become useful and obedient to human beings : domesticated
a tame elephant
2
: made gentle and obedient
3
: lacking spirit or interest : dull
tamely adverb
tameness noun

tame

2 of 2 verb
tamed; taming
1
a
: to make or become tame
tame a lion
b
: to subject to cultivation
wilderness tamed by farmers
2
: to bring under control : subdue
tame your temper
tamer noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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