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Tighten vs Tightening - What's the difference?

tighten | tightening |

As verbs the difference between tighten and tightening

is that tighten is to make tighter while tightening is .

As a noun tightening is

the act or process of making more tight.

tighten

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To make tighter.
    • Please tighten that screw a quarter-turn.
  • * Fawkes
    • Just where I please, with tightened rein / I'll urge thee round the dusty plain.
  • To become tighter.
    • That joint is tightening as the wood dries.
  • (economics) To make money harder to borrow or obtain.
    • If the government doesn't tighten the money supply, inflation is certain to be harsh.
  • (economics) To raise short-term interest rates.
    • The Fed is expected to tighten by a quarter-point.

    Antonyms

    * (make tighter) loosen

    Derived terms

    * retighten * tighten one's belt * tighten the purse strings * tightener

    Related terms

    * tight

    Distinguish from

    * titan, Titan

    tightening

    English

    Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act or process of making more tight.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=September 28, author=Steven R. Weisman, title=I.M.F. Faces a Question of Identity, work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=There are lingering feelings among some board members, especially in the developing world, that the fund joined with the United States and other wealthy countries in demanding overly austere budget cuts and other fiscal tightenings for the countries that were bailed out in the previous decade. }}