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

My complexion had a healthy glow, felt incredibly smooth to the touch, seemed to have tightened up (in a good way) and any usual redness across my cheeks was completely gone. —Maya Gandara, StyleCaster, 15 Mar. 2025

Their rotation tightened up, then shifted when wing Aaron Nesmith returned to action. —Tony East, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

By the time the schedule tightens up in May, Ohtani could be ready to return to pitching. —Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2025

Both teams tightened up their defensive intensity, but couldn’t get anything to go in. —Shaela Foster, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for tighten up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup