# tighten

Pronunciation: US say "TY-tuhn" /ˈtaɪ.tən/; UK

## Verb

1. To make something firmer, more taut, or more secure, typically by pulling or turning.
   - Simple: To make something firmer or harder to move, like a screw or knot.
   - _Tighten the bolts evenly so the wheel sits flush against the hub._
   - _He tightened the straps on his backpack before the climb._
2. To grow firmer, more taut, or more constricted without outside force applied directly.
   - Simple: To get firmer, narrower, or harder to move on its own.
   - _As the temperature drops, metal cables tighten and creak through the night._
   - _Her chest tightened with fear when the lights suddenly went out._
3. To restrict the supply of money or credit so that it becomes harder to borrow or obtain.
   - Simple: To make it harder for people and businesses to borrow money.
   - _Policymakers may need to tighten the money supply again before the housing bubble grows any larger._
   - _Lenders tightened their standards sharply after the financial crisis._
4. To raise short-term interest rates, usually as a deliberate central bank action.
   - Simple: To raise the interest rates charged on short-term loans.
   - _Central banks tighten by lifting the overnight lending rate._
   - _The committee tightened twice this year, each time raising the benchmark rate._

## Origin

Although it now seems to be simply 'tight' plus the suffix '-en', the word actually derives from Middle English tighten, from Old English tyhtan, and so was originally unrelated to 'tight' (Old English *þiht).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tighten (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).