tighten up
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
Security is tightening up near the Obama Presidential Center ahead of this week's grand opening ceremony on Thursday.
—
Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 16 June 2026
The Defenders did tighten up against the run as the season went on, but DC gave up 58- and 59-yard rushing tallies to Robinson during the regular season.
—Juan Carlos Blanco, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
However, the Queen made a change in 2022, the year of her Platinum Jubilee, by tightening up the balcony lineup to include only senior working members of the royal family and some of their children.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
The heart of the team (McDavid, Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard) would flourish in the system, although Bouchard might need to tighten up defensively.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 10 June 2026
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Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 16 June 2026
The Defenders did tighten up against the run as the season went on, but DC gave up 58- and 59-yard rushing tallies to Robinson during the regular season.
—Juan Carlos Blanco, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
However, the Queen made a change in 2022, the year of her Platinum Jubilee, by tightening up the balcony lineup to include only senior working members of the royal family and some of their children.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
The heart of the team (McDavid, Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard) would flourish in the system, although Bouchard might need to tighten up defensively.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tighten up
Cite this Entry
“Tighten up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tighten%20up. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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