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View synonyms for

tether

[ teth-er ]

noun

  1. a rope, chain, or the like, by which an animal is fastened to a fixed object so as to limit its range of movement.
  2. the utmost length to which one can go in action; the utmost extent or limit of ability or resources.


verb (used with object)

  1. to fasten or confine with or as if with a tether.
  2. Digital Technology. to use (an electronic device, usually a smartphone or tablet) to enable a wireless internet connection on another nearby device, often a laptop:

    There's no Wi-Fi, so I'll have to tether my phone to my laptop.

verb (used without object)

  1. Digital Technology. to use an electronic device to enable a wireless internet connection on another device.

tether

/ ˈɛðə /

noun

  1. a restricting rope, chain, etc, by which an animal is tied to a particular spot
  2. the range of one's endurance, etc
  3. at the end of one's tether
    distressed or exasperated to the limit of one's endurance
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to tie or limit with or as if with a tether
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • ܲ·ٱٳ··Բ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tether1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (noun); compare Old Norse ōٳ, Dutch tuier
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tether1

C14: from Old Norse tjothr; related to Middle Dutch ū tether, Old High German zeotar pole of a wagon
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. at the end of one's tether, at the end of one's resources, patience, or strength.

More idioms and phrases containing tether

see end of one's rope (tether) .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

You could, for instance, be charged for tethering your goat on a public street, fixing a leaky tap without a licence or not naming the owner of a building when asked.

From

Her health journey has involved swimming, lifting weights and many runs with Ollie tethered to her as her sighted guide.

From

"That was kind of like the end of my tether. Obviously regretted it but that is how the game got me."

From

All these women have done all week is snark at one another and talk behind each others’ backs, and now Laurie wants to tether her sense of self-worth to them?

From

Practically overnight, I had to adjust to how my new glasses slid down my nose and the way the elastics tethered to my braces snapped like rubber bands in a junk drawer.

From

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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