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
New York tightened up defensively on the other end of the ice, keeping the Golden Knights to only seven shots in the third.
—
Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
The revision to the law, which also tightened up pricing restrictions for properties already on the market, passed both houses of the Legislature with only a handful of votes against it.
—Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
The match was effectively over at this point, with Sabalenka tightening up her service games in the second set, as Badosa would have feared, to win in one hour and 26 minutes.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
On the other hand: The Buccaneers gave up 14.1 first-half points per game this year, more than any team other than Carolina, before tightening up to 7.9 second-half points per game, second-best in the NFL.
—Jordan Brenner, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
The revision to the law, which also tightened up pricing restrictions for properties already on the market, passed both houses of the Legislature with only a handful of votes against it.
—Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
The match was effectively over at this point, with Sabalenka tightening up her service games in the second set, as Badosa would have feared, to win in one hour and 26 minutes.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
On the other hand: The Buccaneers gave up 14.1 first-half points per game this year, more than any team other than Carolina, before tightening up to 7.9 second-half points per game, second-best in the NFL.
—Jordan Brenner, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tighten up
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 16 Feb. 2025.
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