taut
tightly drawn; tense; not slack.
emotionally or mentally strained or tense: taut nerves.
in good order or condition; tidy; neat.
Origin of taut
1Other words for taut
Other words from taut
- tautly, adverb
- tautness, noun
- un·taut, adjective
- un·taut·ly, adverb
- un·taut·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with taut
Words Nearby taut
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use taut in a sentence
There were stomachs, taut and flat, but also undulating bellies, soft and bloated from the breakfast buffet.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’ | Asawin Suebsaeng | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTNow Kevin Garvey (a taut, tense Justin Theroux) is Mapleton's chief of police.
‘The Leftovers’ Review: A Fever Dream You Can’t Wake Up From | Andrew Romano | June 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“At first it was so bizarre,” she mumbles into a hand mirror, her mouth taut as she applies lipstick in the back of a taxi.
Is This Dildo-Licking, Dominatrix-Loving Vogue Blogger the New Face of Feminism? | Lizzie Crocker | May 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn fact, they are linked by a taut common thread: innocence encountering the face of evil.
Holocaust Horrors Haunt the Films ‘Ida’ And ‘The German Doctor’ | Jack Schwartz | May 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTtaut red fabric on the ceiling above the chandelier gives the room a cool, circus-tent vibe.
Exploring the Darker Side of James Joyce’s Trieste | Jeff Campagna | January 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The atmosphere seemed drawn taut before him as though it must any instant split open upon a sound of crying.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodAs they went cutting sidewise through the water, the sails bellied taut, with the wind filling and overflowing them.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinHow his fingers tingled with anticipation when he grasped the taut double line!
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail | Arthur R. ThompsonScreen wire is very difficult material to fasten on a frame so that it becomes taut.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | VariousHis eyes shone, his chin was thrust forward, every ligament in his body was strung taut.
The Winning Clue | James Hay, Jr.
British Dictionary definitions for taut
/ (tɔːt) /
tightly stretched; tense
showing nervous strain; stressed
mainly nautical in good order; neat
Origin of taut
1Derived forms of taut
- tautly, adverb
- tautness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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