taut

1 of 3

adjective

1
a
: having no give or slack : tightly drawn
a taut rope
b
: high-strung, tense
taut nerves
2
a
: kept in proper order or condition
a taut ship
b(1)
: not loose or flabby
taut skin
(2)
: marked by economy of structure and detail
a taut story
tautly adverb
tautness noun

taut

2 of 3

verb

tauted; tauting; tauts

transitive verb

Scotland
: mat, tangle

taut-

3 of 3

combining form

variants or tauto-
: same
tautomerism
tautonym

Examples of taut in a Sentence

Adjective The rope was drawn taut. The book is a taut thriller.
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.
Adjective
Holding skin taut, glide tool across damp skin, treating each area no more than twice. Emily Orofino, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2024 The veteran prestige-TV drama director Michael Dinner (who had previously worked with Silo creator Graham Yost on Justified) and the show’s crew keep the action taut, tense, and easy to follow as Juliette survives several potentially fatal setbacks and just keeps going. Noel Murray, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024 Despite her attempts to escape him, their paths continue to cross throughout this taut depiction of overwhelming isolation, which uses the inescapable presence of death to visualize the grieving process. Travis Bean, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024 Unbearably taut, the 40-second sequence of people shrieking in suffering as they're pulled into Jean Jacket's maw proves that gore-free horror is equally, if not more, scarring. Keith Staskiewicz, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for taut 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English tought, perhaps from tought, toughth fierce, tough, alteration of tough tough

Verb

origin unknown

Combining form

Late Latin, from Greek, from tauto the same, contraction of to auto

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a(1)

Verb

1721, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of taut was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near taut

Cite this Entry

“Taut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taut. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

taut

adjective
ˈtȯt
1
a
: drawn to the limit : not slack
taut rope
b
: high-strung, tense
taut nerves
2
: kept in proper order or condition
a taut ship
tautly adverb
tautness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on taut

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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