tethered to

Examples

• All

• During the storm, the sailboat was tethered to the dock to prevent it from drifting away.

• A brown mule, its tail bobbing, was tethered to the electric pole.

  Fiction book (1996)

• "Next thing I knew, I was tethered to a tree.

  Fiction book (1995)

• We're still tethered to the tower.

  The Hurricane Heist (2018)

• And this one's tethered to a power brick down here.

• I didn't ask to be tethered to you.

  Malignant (2021)

• Beside her, a boy led a monkey tethered to a thin brass chain.

  Fiction book (1996)

• To their right, about a hundred feet away, a donkey was tethered to a tree, now and then whisking its tail.

  Fiction book (2000)

• Behind her, behind the fire, the horses were tethered to forage on the sparse grass.

  Fiction book (1990)

• Murtaugh pulls up alongside the lifeboat as it hits the water, still tethered to the ship.

  Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

B

bound

vstethered to

6 4.2

Tied or fastened to stop movement

attaches by a line permitting limited movement rather than complete immobilization

T

tethered

vstethered to

5.1

Held by a rope or chain so it cannot move far

is the same meaning but used as a phrase with a following preposition

C

chained

vstethered to

4.1

Held tight by metal so it cannot move or escape

attaches by a flexible line and often allows limited movement instead of full restraint

T

tied

vstethered to

1.0

Fastened with string or rope

attaches to an external point with a short line allowing limited movement

K

knotted

vstethered to

1.9

Tied so rope or cloth ends hold together

attaches via a line to an anchor and allows limited movement

W

wired

vstethered to

4.1

Fastened with thin metal wire

attaches with a flexible connection to an object allowing some movement

E

enchained

vstethered to

• Archaic

9.1

Held with chains or by rules that stop you from acting

attaches by a short line allowing limited freedom rather than full captivity

S

shackled

vstethered to

7.0

Held by chains around the ankles so the person cannot move freely

attaches to an object allowing some movement, not only ankle confinement

F

fettered

vstethered to

8.1

Held by chains or ties so someone cannot move and cannot act freely

attaches with a short line to limit movement rather than use ankle restraints

P

pinioned

vstethered to

9.7

A person or animal held tightly with the arms tied behind the back

attaches by a line to an object, allowing limited movement rather than limb binding

T

trussed

vstethered to

8.1

Tied tightly with rope or string so arms and legs cannot move

attaches by a line to an anchor permitting movement instead of tightly binding limbs

A

affixed

vstethered to

4.4

Firmly attached to a surface or object so it cannot move

attaches by a flexible connector allowing some movement instead of fixed permanence

F

fastened

vstethered to

1.3

Kept closed so it does not open or move

attaches using a line to an external point allowing movement rather than rigid closure

T

taped

vstethered to

1.1

Held in place by tape

attaches by a short flexible line allowing movement instead of adhesive fixing

P

pegged-down

vstethered to

6.4

Held down to the ground by small sticks or pins so it does not move

attaches to an anchor allowing limited motion instead of fastening to the ground

Antonyms

U

unattached

2 4.2

Not fixed to anything so it can move freely

How Attached

tethered to

8 4.4

affixed

4.4

fastened

1.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology