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
tamed; taming
1
a
: to reduce from a wild to a domestic state
b
: to subject to cultivation
c
: to bring under control : harness
2
3
: to tone down : soften
tamed the language in the play
: to become tame
tamer
noun
Synonyms
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
Matias Grez, CNN, 25 June 2024
Even as recent blazes triggered evacuations in Los Angeles and Sonoma counties, those incidents may prove to be relatively tame compared with what the rest of the year could have in store, said Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist and extreme weather expert.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024
Olivia Cigliano, WWD, 26 June 2024
Curl creams lend some help when trying to tame those wild tresses.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tame 
Adjective
Palmer had perhaps England’s best chance towards the end after being found by Harry Kane, but his tame effort from the edge of the area was easily held by the Atleti keeper.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 25 June 2024
Even as recent blazes triggered evacuations in Los Angeles and Sonoma counties, those incidents may prove to be relatively tame compared with what the rest of the year could have in store, said Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist and extreme weather expert.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024
Verb
Take it from over 30,000 five-star Amazon reviews that deem it the best product to tame flyaways and slick updos without leaving sticky or crunchy residue.
—Olivia Cigliano, WWD, 26 June 2024
Curl creams lend some help when trying to tame those wild tresses.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tame
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tame.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tame
Cite this Entry
“Tame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tame. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share