WordGarden.iotame
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /tˈeɪm/
US
- /ˈteɪm/
Meanings
Adjective
not wild or fearful of people; easy to handle
mild, restrained, or not exciting
Verb
to make an animal less wild and easier to control
to bring something unruly, strong, or difficult under control
Beyond the definition
To tame something means to bring it under control, often through training, patience, or steady handling. Think of a wild horse slowly learning to trust people and respond calmly. It can also mean to reduce the force of something, like calming a bad temper or making messy hair easier to manage. A tame animal is one that is used to people and is not wild in its behavior.
You might talk about taming a difficult garden by cutting it back and putting it in order. The word often suggests a move from something wild, rough, or hard to handle toward something calmer and easier to manage. It can also describe something that feels dull or not very exciting, as in a tame ending to a story.
The word "tame" usually describes the process of bringing something wild, strong, or hard to control into a calmer and more manageable state. It is often used for animals that become used to people, but it can also be used for feelings, hair, plants, or difficult situations. For example, someone might tame a horse through careful training, tame a garden by clearing and pruning it, or tame their anger by taking a step back and breathing slowly.
When we call an animal tame, we usually mean that it is comfortable around people and no longer behaves like a wild animal. This idea is close to "domesticated," though the two words are not always exactly the same. A species can be domesticated over many generations, while one animal can become tame through contact and training.
"Tame" is also common in figurative language. You can tame your fear, tame a noisy room, tame a complicated schedule, or tame a strong flavor in food by balancing it with something milder. In all of these cases, the idea is the same: something intense is being softened, controlled, or made easier to deal with.
The word can also work as an adjective for something that lacks energy, surprise, or originality. A tame party may feel quiet and boring, and a tame performance may seem safe when people expected something bold. Here, the word suggests that the "wild" or lively part is missing.
So, whether you are talking about an animal that has grown used to people, a feeling that has been brought under control, or an event that feels less exciting than expected, "tame" is a word about reducing wildness and making something more settled, manageable, or mild.
Examples
- 1
Animals
The rabbits in the park are so tame that they come right up to people.
- 2
Animal training
It took a long time to tame the horse.
- 3
Movie content
They kept the movie fairly tame so younger kids could watch it.
- 4
Weak ending
Compared with the first half, the ending was a little tame.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Workplace chaos
Her first job as team leader was to tame the chaos in the office.
- Patterntame + problem/situation
bring it under control
- 6
Hair control
I use a little oil to tame my hair on rainy days.
- Phrasetame your hair
make it less wild or easier to control
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- trained
- broken in
- submissive
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- tame animal
- tame bird
- tame enough to handle
Word family
Explore
- domestication
- animal handling
Forms and spellings
6 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- tameverbadjective
Forms
- tamedpast tenseverbadjective
- taming-ing formverbadjective
- tamercomparativeadjectiveverb
- tamesverbadjective
- tamestsuperlativeadjectiveverb