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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

So, her first instinct was to tighten up and be prepared. —

Danielle Bacher, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024 Tennessee Titans 32, Houston Texans 27: The Texans have lost three of four as the Titans tightened up the race in the AFC South, a division no team seems to want to win. —

Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2024 The last-place Sparks (7-28) now get another shot at the Sun (25-10), another opportunity to tighten up in those facets and rewrite those final moments. —

Aaron Heisen, Orange County Register, 9 Sep. 2024 Other rules that will come into force in December are designed to tighten up anti-money laundering requirements and crack down on market manipulation. —

Sean Lee, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tighten up