The act or state of narrowing in size or space
“The tightening of my jeans after indulging in a large meal was uncomfortable.”
A sudden and involuntary spasm, contraction, or convulsion
“The child's face contorted in a tightening of pain as the doctor examined their fractured arm.”
Present participle for to make (or become) tight or taut
“A detail of eight men would tighten the rope as much as they could, and then they would mount a cable jack on it.”
Present participle for to make fast or more secure
“Hold both trim pieces tight to the door with one hand as you tighten the screws with the other.”
Present participle for to reinforce or make stronger
“He struggled to tighten his grip on his gun and focus his eyes.”
Present participle for to constrict or make or become narrower
“Once any weight was put into the bag, the top opening would tighten up and make it hard to get anything into the bag unless we took it down from the hook.”
Present participle for to make more strict or stringent
“Mr. Chairman, as you know, in this committee as well as in other committees, efforts have been made to tighten security on Capitol Hill.”
Present participle for to gather into wrinkles
Present participle for to condense or conflate so as to occupy less space or time
Present participle for to make improvements to
Present participle for to make adjustments to (an engine) in order to improve its performance
Present participle for to exercise and strengthen muscles in order to firm up
Present participle for to revise or improve a piece of work
Present participle for to twist or turn, especially in order to fix something firmly
Present participle for to fix securely or tightly
Present participle for to make or become rigidly fixed or immovable
Present participle for to pull or elongate a stretchable object
Present participle for to (excessively) exert for a particular task, purpose or goal
Present participle for to decrease in amount or degree
Related Words and Phrases
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