Word.ws English Dictionary

keeping a tight rein on

keeping a tight rein on is the present participle and gerund of keep a tight rein on.

Meaning of keep a tight rein on

Verb

keep a tight rein on (third-person singular simple present keeps a tight rein on, present participle keeping a tight rein on, simple past and past participle kept a tight rein on)

  1. To exercise strict control over; keep in check.
    • Class "8F" 2-8-0 No. 48501 keeps a tight rein on heavily loaded northbound hoppers as it descends the 1 in 90 gradient.1960 April, J. P. Wilson, E. N. C. Haywood, “The route through the Peak - Derby to Manchester: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 226, photo caption

Questions about keeping a tight rein on

What is keeping a tight rein on the present participle and gerund of?
Keeping a tight rein on is the present participle and gerund of keep a tight rein on.

Words near keeping a tight rein on in the dictionary

  1. keeping a cool head
  2. keeping a dog and barking oneself
  3. keeping a lid on
  4. keeping a look-out
  5. keeping a low profile
  6. keeping a tight rein on
  7. keeping a watch out
  8. keeping a weather eye open
  9. keeping across
  10. keeping ahead
  11. keeping an act

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeping a tight rein on (page history and authors); keep a tight rein on (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “keeping a tight rein on.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/keeping_a_tight_rein_on. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.