different between tweak vs tighten

English

Etymology

From Middle English twikken, from Old English twiccian (“to pluck”), from Proto-West Germanic *twekk?n (“to fasten; clamp; pinch”). Related to twitch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /twi?k/
• Rhymes: -i?k

Verb

tweak (third-person singular simple present tweaks, present participle tweaking, simple past and past participle tweaked)

1. (transitive) To pinch and pull with a sudden jerk and twist; to twitch.

2. (transitive, informal) To adjust slightly; to fine-tune.
3. (transitive) To twit or tease.
4. (intransitive, US, slang) To abuse methamphetamines, especially crystal meth.
5. (intransitive, US, slang) To exhibit symptoms of methamphetamine abuse, such as extreme nervousness, compulsiveness, erratic motion, excitability; possibly a blend of twitch and freak.
6. (intransitive, US, slang) To exhibit extreme nervousness, evasiveness when confronted by law enforcement or other authority (e.g., customs agents, border patrol, teacher, etc.), mimicking methamphetamine abuse symptoms.

Derived terms

• (drug abuser): tweaker, (US)
• (drug abuse): tweaking

Translations

Noun

tweak (plural tweaks)

1. A sharp pinch or jerk; a twist or twitch.

2. A slight adjustment or modification.

3. Trouble; distress; tweag.
4. (obsolete, slang) A prostitute.
5. (cryptography) An additional input to a block cipher, used in conjunction with the key to select the permutation computed by the cipher.

Translations

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

English

Etymology

Equivalent to tight +? -en. From Middle English tighten, from Old English tyhtan.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?ta?.t?n/
• Rhymes: -a?t?n
• Homophones: titan, Titan

Verb

tighten (third-person singular simple present tightens, present participle tightening, simple past and past participle tightened)

1. (transitive) To make tighter.
   • 1760, Francis Fawkes, Works of Anacreon, Sappho, Bion, Moschus, and Musæus translated into English by a gentleman of Cambridge

     Just where I please, with tighten;d rein / I'll urge thee round the dusty plain.

2. (intransitive) To become tighter.

3. (economics) To make money harder to borrow or obtain.

4. (economics) To raise short-term interest rates.

Antonyms

• (make tighter): loosen

Derived terms

Related terms

• tight

Translations

Anagrams

• tingeth