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

Unfortunately, First Place for Youth has already seen foundations start to tighten up, uncertain about their future giving levels. —First Place For Youth, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Scherer shook off that crossover to finish with a game-high 28 points, while the Eagles tightened up their inside game down the stretch as fellow senior Brady Wynja posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. —Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2025

Once your goal is mapped out, tighten up your focus. —Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025

Phone ‘whack-a-mole’ Others in Olathe want to see the district tighten up its policy around phone use. —Taylor O’Connor, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for tighten up

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