to straiten
- verb
- /ˈstreɪtən/
- Archaic
:
estrechar
- The narrow path straitened as we approached the steep hill.
Examples
-
The unexpected expenses straitened our budget, forcing us to cut back on dining out.
-
As institutions cut personnel to stay within their straitened budgets, caseloads for the remaining staff increased.
Fiction book (2000) -
We were happy enough with the limits imposed for this meeting, but we could not avoid the feeling that those limits straitened people's imaginations and emotions.
Academic text (1991) -
During the renovation, the living room was straitened to create more space for the new furniture.
Synonyms
145
1.5
To make something hold firmly, like a bolt or belt
70
3.5
To squeeze something tightly with your hands or teeth
30
5.6
To become tighter because of pressure or shrinking
16
4.0
Make or become tighter and more solid
11
4.4
To press something so it becomes smaller and takes less space
1
4.1
To press something so it becomes wrinkled, for example paper or your face
1
4.4
To make a rope or cord tight by stretching it so it is not loose
1
4.4
To make something tight by pulling it
To become tight or to make something tight by getting smaller
To pull something like a rope until it becomes tight or to become tight
To press people or things together so they fit in a small space
Antonyms
How Narrow
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Straiten comes from the same root as string and strict, which mean 'to draw tight'. Think of pulling a rope tight until a space gets smaller, and you can see why straiten means to squeeze or make something narrow.