verb · neutral
tighten
/ˈtaɪtən/TIGHT·en
Band 5-6speakingtask2
make something stricter or more firm; make something tight
Examples
“The police tightened patrols around the stadium after the match.”
“Banks tightened lending rules after the crisis.”
“They tightened the bolts on the bridge.”
Band 8 sentence
“In response to rising crime, the council announced measures to tighten surveillance across the city.”
Collocations
- tighten security
- tighten regulations
- tighten control
- tighten the belt (idiom)
Word family
tighten vtightens v (3rd sing)tightening v -ing / nountightened v (past/past participle)
Common mistakes
They tightened quickly the rules.→They tightened the rules quickly.
We should to tighten controls.→We should tighten controls.
They tighten the law stronger.→They tightened the law.
Say it for a higher band
5make tight→6make stricter→7+tighten
Synonyms
reinforce
clamp down (on)
Easily confused
strengthen
“The government decided to tighten controls at the border.”
Related words
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In -en
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