tightening

verb

present participle of tighten
as in tensing
to draw tight tighten the straps on the backpack so that the load doesn't shift while hiking

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 tightening In this perspective, restricting ballot delivery to names on new federal voter lists, and tightening Postal Service handling of ballots, is framed as a necessary safeguard against systemic abuse of mail voting. — Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 As Russia’s war in Ukraine becomes increasingly costly with no end in sight, the Kremlin has kept tightening its grip over Russian society. — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026 If tightening credit conditions or a broader earnings slowdown arrive at the same time the 2028–2029 maturity wall does, a problem currently measured in extended fund lives and thinner distributions could become one measured in defaults. — Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 The deterioration in DeepMind’s talent flows coincided with the lab tightening its publication rules, Hurd said, something that Zeki researchers say may have weakened one of the lab’s most important draws for research-minded staff. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026 The actress turned beauty maven has previously raved about the Lipofix Neck Firming and Lifting Sheet Mask, a plumping and tightening treatment for dry, crepey, mature skin. — Essence Wiley, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026 Langley earlier this month announced several changes to the company’s systems, including tightening the retention period to seven days and requiring a search to be tied to a case number. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2026 Not by tightening the siege on Iran directly, but by tightening the siege on those who help this regime, this terrible dictatorship. — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 The relationship between Huang and Elon Musk has been tightening of late. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tightening
  1. tensing
  2. stretching
Verb
  • Ewing has recognized his shoulders tensing and his upper body going stiff.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026
  • Limited rib mobility interferes with the ability to breathe deeply, triggering your body’s stress response, which increases muscle tensing as a guarding mechanism.
    — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Definition of tensing
Verb
  • The seasonal calendar is stretching earlier, chains are competing to own the first sip of autumn, and customers are voting with their orders.
    — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Once owned by an heir to the Getty oil fortune, a full-floor penthouse atop San Francisco’s Russian Hill with wraparound terraces and views stretching from the Golden Gate Bridge to the downtown skyline is on the market for nearly $20 million.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of stretching

Browse Nearby Words

tightened
tightening
tightens
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Cite this Entry

“Tightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tightening. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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