noun
- ropes, chains, or cords used to tie an animal so it can move only within a limited area
- things that restrict someone’s freedom or limit their ability to act
Usage: figurative
verb
- ties an animal with a rope or chain so it cannot move far away
- connects a device to another device or system, especially for internet access
Usage: technology
Examples
- The farmer uses long tethers to keep his goats from wandering too far.
- She felt the tethers of responsibility holding her back from traveling.
- He tethers his horse to the fence post every morning.
- The cowboy tethers his cattle near the water source.
- She tethers her phone to her laptop for internet access.
- The astronaut’s safety line tethers him to the space station.
- Breaking free from the tethers of tradition, she started her own business.