tame

1 of 2

adjective

ˈtām How to pronounce tame (audio)
tamer; tamest
Synonyms of tamenext
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

tame

2 of 2

verb

tamed; taming

transitive verb

1
a
: to reduce from a wild to a domestic state
b
: to subject to cultivation
c
: to bring under control : harness
2
: to deprive of spirit : humble, subdue
the once revolutionary … party, long since tamed— The Times Literary Supplement (London)
3
: to tone down : soften
tamed the language in the play

intransitive verb

: to become tame
tamable adjective
or tameable
ˈtā-mə-bəl How to pronounce tame (audio)
tamer noun

Synonyms

Adjective

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
This brow-shaping wax takes a little finesse to learn how to use but is well worth it for making your brows look tame and trimmed. — Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 17 Apr. 2025 Economists expect tame readings in March in the key inflation measures tracked by the Federal Reserve for its 2% target. — Lucia Mutikani, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
This wasn't merely following fashion but embracing a philosophical shift championed by designers like Capability Brown—from nature tamed to nature framed. — Paul Jebara, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025 In a pair of preprint studies posted in March 2025 to bioRxiv, European researchers recently revisited this question — and introduced a gruesome theory: maybe cats were first tamed not to be pets, but to be sacrificed. — Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tame

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English tam; akin to Old High German zam tame, Latin domare to tame, Greek damnanai

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tame was before the 12th century

Rhymes for tame

See All Rhymes for tame

Browse Nearby Words

tamburone
tame
tame cat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tame. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

tame

1 of 2 adjective
ˈtām How to pronounce tame (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on tame

Nglish: Translation of tame for Spanish Speakers

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