tighten

English

Etymology

Equivalent to tight +‎ -en. From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English tyhtan, from the root of tight.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtaɪ.tən/
• Rhymes: -aɪtən
• Homophones: titan, Titan

Verb

tighten (third-person singular simple present tightens, present participle tightening, simple past and past participle tightened)

1. (transitive) To make tighter.

   Please tighten that screw a quarter-turn.

   • (Can we date this quote by Fawkes and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Just where I please, with tightened rein / I'll urge thee round the dusty plain.

2. (intransitive) To become tighter.

   That joint is tightening as the wood dries.

3. (economics) To make money harder to borrow or obtain.

   If the government doesn't tighten the money supply, inflation is certain to be harsh.

4. (economics) To raise short-term interest rates.

   The Fed is expected to tighten by a quarter-point.

Antonyms

• (make tighter): loosen

Derived terms

Derived terms

• retighten
• tighten one's belt

• tighten the purse strings
• tightener

Related terms

• tight

Translations

to make tighter

• Albanian: shtrëngoj (sq)
• Assamese: কচা (kosa)
• Czech: dotáhnout, utáhnout
• Dutch: aandraaien (nl) (of a screw), strakker maken, strakker doen
• Finnish: kiristää (fi), tiukentaa
• French: serrer (fr)
• Friulian: strenzi, strengi
• German: anziehen (de) (of a screw), straffen (de) (of a rope, belt etc.)
• Greek: σφίγγω (el) (sfíngo)
• Irish: dlúthaigh
• Italian: stringere (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ladin: strenjer, strenje
• Latin: stringō
• Maori: whakakikī, nonoti, whakawhena
• Neapolitan: strenge
• Ngazidja Comorian: usasanya
• Polish: zacieśniać (pl)
• Portuguese: apertar (pt)
• Romanian: strânge (ro)
• Russian: натя́гивать (ru) impf (natjágivatʹ), натяну́ть (ru) pf (natjanútʹ), затя́гивать (ru) impf (zatjágivatʹ), затяну́ть (ru) pf (zatjanútʹ)
• Spanish: apretar (es), tensar (es)

to become tighter

• Finnish: kiristyä (fi), tiukentua
• French: se resserrer (fr)
• Hungarian: feszül (hu)
• Irish: dlúthaigh
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: zacieśniać się
• Russian: натя́гиваться (ru) impf (natjágivatʹsja), натяну́ться (ru) pf (natjanútʹsja), затя́гиваться (ru) impf (zatjágivatʹsja), затяну́ться (ru) pf (zatjanútʹsja)
• Spanish: tensarse

to make money harder to obtain

• Finnish: kiristää (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: endurecer la política monetaria

to raise interest rate

• Finnish: nostaa korkoa, korottaa (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: resserrer (fr) les taux (fr) m

Anagrams

• tingeth