TIGHTENS Synonyms: 14 Similar and Opposite Words

tightens

verb

present tense third-person singular of tighten

as in tenses

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 tightens As tuition climbs and federal oversight tightens on low-earning programs, a new tool lets families compare outcomes across California campuses. — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Drawing on existing generation without adding new supply tightens the market and can raise everyone else’s bills. — Mark Drapeau, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 What happens to real estate income, private equity valuations and public equity prices at the same time if the currency regime shifts, or if regional liquidity tightens for 18 months instead of 18 weeks? — Khalifa Aldhaheri, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 The organization said the changes are intended to keep its textile and leather labels compliant as the bloc tightens its restrictions on green claims. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026 In Antonioni’s film, after a woman disappears during a boating vacation, her partner and her best friend travel around looking for her, while the bond between them tightens and their grip on the threads of certainty loosens. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026 With Sierra Canyon’s depth in the backfield, the room for error tightens for offenses. — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026 Indeed, more college graduates are accepting unpaid internships than at any point in the last decade as the entry-level job market tightens around them. — Dana Stephenson, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2026 The order Johnson signed on Tuesday tightens air pollution control permit reviews, sets new noise rules, and requires a cross-departmental review of data center impacts on energy, water, and cumulative environmental and community effects. — Mikayla Price, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tightens

Verb

Breezily elegant in execution and at times even Hitchcockian, The Girlfriend is a delicious thriller that tenses up with each new scene and revelation.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026

Definition of tenses

Verb

Lyonnes and Washington Spirit of the NWSL, Kang’s influence stretches across the global game, but it cannot be escaped that Putellas has dropped down from the highest level with this move.

— Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
But 160 Leroy portends a future that stretches the definition of what constitutes New York living into hitherto-unknown territory.

— Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of stretches

Browse Nearby Words

tightening

tightens

tightfisted

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“Tightens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tightens. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of tightens

verb

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