tighten up
phrasal verb
tightened up; tightening up; tightens up
: to become more strict or effective or to make (something) more strict or effective
Security around the building has tightened up recently.
They tightened up security around the building.
Examples of tighten up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In his second term, Still hopes to tackle immigration reform, environmental legislation, workforce development, tightening up election integrity laws and other issues, according to a statement on his website.
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Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 27 May 2024
So, her first instinct was to tighten up and be prepared.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2024
Tough shots falling everywhere, San Diego State had a 10-6 advantage but UConn’s defense tightened up and forced 14-straight missed field goals from the Aztecs over more than 11 minutes.
—From Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 28 Mar. 2024
Largo tightened up its zone defense and the Bears just couldn’t find an answer.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tighten up 
Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 27 May 2024
So, her first instinct was to tighten up and be prepared.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2024
Tough shots falling everywhere, San Diego State had a 10-6 advantage but UConn’s defense tightened up and forced 14-straight missed field goals from the Aztecs over more than 11 minutes.
—From Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 28 Mar. 2024
Largo tightened up its zone defense and the Bears just couldn’t find an answer.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tighten up
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tighten up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tighten up
Cite this Entry
“Tighten up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tighten%20up. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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