tame

1 of 2

adjective

tamer; tamest
1
: reduced from a state of native wildness especially so as to be tractable and useful to humans : domesticated
tame animals
2
: made docile and submissive : subdued
3
: lacking spirit, zest, interest, or the capacity to excite : insipid
a tame campaign
tamely adverb
tameness noun

tame

2 of 2

verb

tamed; taming

transitive verb

1
a
: to reduce from a wild to a domestic state
b
: to subject to cultivation
c
: to bring under control : harness
2
: to deprive of spirit : humble, subdue
the once revolutionary … party, long since tamedThe Times Literary Supplement (London)
3
: to tone down : soften
tamed the language in the play

intransitive verb

: to become tame
tamable adjective
or tameable
tamer noun

Examples of tame in a Sentence

Adjective The island's birds are quite tame. They ran a pretty tame campaign. Some people were shocked by the movie, but I found the story pretty tame. Members of the audience were too tame to interrupt the speaker. Verb It took a while to tame the horse. the people who tamed the Wild West He struggled to tame his temper. The government needs to do something to tame inflation.
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
And for a show that started on the relatively tame confines of network TV? Trent Moore, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2024 The tame styling paired well with an efficient yet enjoyable powertrain, and just the right amount of interior tech and luxury for the pricing. Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
While the Federal Reserve deserves credit for its efforts to tame inflation, consumers can take some, too. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024 One striking example is when Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington, tames his banshee. Gerui Wang, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tame 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English tam; akin to Old High German zam tame, Latin domare to tame, Greek damnanai

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tame was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near tame

Cite this Entry

“Tame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tame. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

tame

1 of 2 adjective
tamer; tamest
1
: changed from the wild state so as to become useful and obedient to human beings : domesticated
a tame elephant
2
: made gentle and obedient
3
: lacking spirit or interest : dull
tamely adverb
tameness noun

tame

2 of 2 verb
tamed; taming
1
a
: to make or become tame
tame a lion
b
: to subject to cultivation
wilderness tamed by farmers
2
: to bring under control : subdue
tame your temper
tamer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on tame

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!