1
a
: a line (as of rope or chain) by which an animal is fastened so as to restrict its range of movement
b
: a line to which someone or something is attached (as for security)
A crewman can clip the tether of his harness to the [safety line] and leave it clipped as he makes his way forward and aft.—
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith2
: the limit of one's strength or resources
I'm at the end of my tether.
tethered; tethering
ˈte-t͟h(ə-)riŋ 
: to fasten or restrain by or as if by a tether
felt tethered to her desk until the work was done
Examples of tether in a Sentence
Verb
They tethered the horses in the shade.
The dog was tethered to the fence.
Recent Examples on the WebMorgan Godvin, JSTOR Daily, 5 Apr. 2024
There’s a tether between De Shields and the younger dancers, taut as a wire, and life force runs through it.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 27 June 2024
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 5 July 2024
The crime must be tethered to the objects and/or documents at issue in the proceeding.
—Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for tether 
Noun
Headlines flashed across the television screens, one of my only tethers to the outside world.
—Morgan Godvin, JSTOR Daily, 5 Apr. 2024
There’s a tether between De Shields and the younger dancers, taut as a wire, and life force runs through it.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 27 June 2024
Verb
Only an air hose and a rope tethered them to the surface.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 5 July 2024
The crime must be tethered to the objects and/or documents at issue in the proceeding.
—Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for tether
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tether.' 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 tether
Cite this Entry
“Tether.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tether. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tether
1 of 2 noun
teth·er
ˈtet͟h-ər
: a line by which something (as an animal or a balloon) is fastened so as to limit its range
tether
2 of 2 verb
tethered; tethering
ˈtet͟h-(ə-)riŋ
: to fasten or hold with or as if with a tether
felt tethered to my desk
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share