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to tame

to tame

68 3.0
To make something less wild or strong
  • verb
  • /teɪm/
translation icon : domar
  • Brazilian inflation has not been decisively tamed, but by some measures, it hardly seems to matter.
  • tame inflation
  • tame animals
  • tame nature

And man, so learning how to tame the monkey mind was through breath.

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Examples

  • To tame the unruly dog, the trainer used treats and positive reinforcement techniques.

  • Music alone can still tame the beast in man.

  • Instead, I may learn to tame it instead of fear it.

  • And then you can tame him.

  • I could tame one of those.

  • I am a soldier who, with a single word, can tame people and animals.

    Academic text (1999)
  • King Eel the Young was the first to tame one of their kind.

  • And then I've started to tame it as the years go by.

  • Someone remind me to tame it ASAP.

  • And thus our aspirant will have to venture out to tame the beast.

Synonyms

to rein in
vsto tame
53 4.6

To keep someone or something under control, for example by limiting spending

is about permanently making things less wild or more gentle rather than just limiting
to subdue
vsto tame
37 5.5

To bring a person or thing under control, often by force

is about reducing wildness or strength with gentler, less forceful methods
to domesticate
vsto tame
  • Specialized
32 4.1

To make wild animals or plants useful to people, for example by taming them

is broader control aimed at making things gentler rather than preparing them for use
to reclaim
vsto tame
1 5.6

To make a wild animal calm and accept people

is broader, used for many things not only animals to make gentler
to domesticize
vsto tame
  • US
8.5

To make a wild animal or plant tame so it can live with people and provide food

is about bringing under control without focusing on home or use

Idioms

A saying that you should not expect a wild person or thing to behave calmly

How Tame

to domesticate
  • Specialized
32 4.1
to subdue
37 5.5
to tame
68 3.0
to soften
50 3.1
to calm
962 1.0

Surface Forms

tame infinitive
tamed past
tamed past participle
taming present participle
tames third person singular

Etymology

Tame, as a verb, originally meant 'to bring under control', like training a wild animal until it is calm, so to tame something today is to make it less wild or easier to control.