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.

Then, Ryan felt his forearm tighten up after the third inning. —

Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024 But the race was expected to tighten up since Nicole Ford, the third primary candidate who received 17.3% of the vote, later endorsed Stebbins. —

Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024 Polling tightened up toward the end of Kelly's race for governor, too. —

Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Oct. 2024 Prime examples include jaw issues like pain, clicking, popping, and locking (since a forward leaning head can take your jaw out of ideal alignment), as well as increased chances of tension headaches, because the neck muscles that attach to the base of your skull tighten up, Dr. Harding says. —

Jenny McCoy, SELF, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tighten up