tighten

English

Etymology

Synchronically equivalent to tight +‎ -en. From Middle English tighten, from Old English tyhtan, thus originally unrelated to tight (Old English *þiht).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtaɪ.tən/, [ˈtʰaɪ̯tn̩], [ˈtʰaɪ̯ʔn̩]

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• 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.

   • 1760, Francis Fawkes, Works of Anacreon, Sappho, Bion, Moschus, and Musæus translated into English by a gentleman of Cambridge:

     Just where I please, with tighten;d 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

• (antonym(s) of “make tighter”): loosen

Derived terms

Derived terms

• belt-tighten
• retighten
• tighten down
• tighten one's belt
• tighten the purse strings
• tightener
• tighten up

Related terms

• tight

Translations

to make tighter

• Albanian: shtrëngoj (sq)
• Arabic: شَدَّ (ar) (šadda), ضَيَّقَ (ḍayyaqa), حَبَكَ (ḥabaka)
• Assamese: কচা (kosa)
• Bulgarian: стягам (bg) (stjagam), опъвам (bg) (opǎvam)
• Czech: dotáhnout, utáhnout
• Dutch: aandraaien (nl) (of a screw), strakker maken, strakker doen
• Finnish: kiristää (fi), tiukentaa (fi)
• French: serrer (fr)
• Friulian: strenzi, strengi
• German: anziehen (de) (of a screw), straffen (de) (of a rope, belt etc.)
• Greek: σφίγγω (el) (sfíngo)
• Hungarian: szorít (hu)
• Ingrian: kuristaa, tiukata
• Irish: dlúthaigh
• Italian: stringere (it)
• Ladin: strenjer, strenje
• Latin: stringō
• Maori: whakakikī, nonoti, whakawhena
• Marathi: घट्ट करणे (ghaṭṭa karṇe)
• 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)
• Swedish: dra åt (sv) (of a screw)
• Turkish: sıkmak (tr)
• Tày: bọp
• Western Bukidnon Manobo: heɣet

to become tighter

• Bulgarian: стягам се (stjagam se), опъвам се (opǎvam se)
• Finnish: kiristyä (fi), tiukentua
• French: se resserrer (fr)
• Hungarian: feszül (hu)
• Ingrian: kuristua
• Irish: dlúthaigh
• Marathi: घट्ट होणे (ghaṭṭa hoṇe)
• Polish: zacieśniać się
• Russian: натя́гиваться (ru) impf (natjágivatʹsja), натяну́ться (ru) pf (natjanútʹsja), затя́гиваться (ru) impf (zatjágivatʹsja), затяну́ться (ru) pf (zatjanútʹsja)
• Spanish: tensarse (es)
• Turkish: daralmak (tr), darlaşmak (tr)

to make money harder to obtain

• Finnish: kiristää (fi)
• Spanish: endurecer la política monetaria
• Turkish: kısmak (tr)

to raise interest rate

• Finnish: nostaa korkoa, korottaa (fi)
• French: resserrer (fr) les taux (fr) m

Anagrams

• tingeth