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 Web
Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 7 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, their dive supervisor, Craig Frederick, was in the diving bell managing their tethers (a.k.a.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Kate Conger, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
This long road back to a clear and confident sense of self that’s no longer tethered to a former partner can take years.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tether
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Noun
Plus, the stakes aren’t very high here: Matt has no life outside his job, so there’s no emotional tether.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 7 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, their dive supervisor, Craig Frederick, was in the diving bell managing their tethers (a.k.a.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
The deal announced on March 28 by Mr. Musk valued X at about $33 billion and tethered its fortunes to xAI, which was valued at $80 billion.
—Kate Conger, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
This long road back to a clear and confident sense of self that’s no longer tethered to a former partner can take years.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tether
Cite this Entry
“Tether.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tether. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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
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