tether

C1 · Advanced Countable noun British English · Informal

n. the limit of your patience, strength, or ability to deal with a difficult situation.

n. the limit of one's endurance, resources, or patience; almost exclusively used in the idiom 'at the end of one's tether'.

“After the baby cried for three hours, the tired mother was at the end of her tether.”

“Having exhausted all legal avenues and financial reserves, the small business owner felt he was finally at the end of his tether.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to tie an animal or object to a fixed point using a rope or chain.

v. to fasten or restrict an animal or object with a tether. Transitive — requires a direct object.

“Make sure you tether the boat securely to the dock before the storm starts.”

“The researchers had to tether the weather balloon to a heavy vehicle to prevent it from drifting away during the calibration process.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Computing

v. to connect a computer or tablet to a mobile phone to use its internet connection.

v. to use a mobile device as a gateway to provide internet access to other devices. Often used in computing contexts.

“I had to tether my laptop to my phone because the office Wi-Fi was down.”

“The journalist was able to file her report from the remote village by tethering her tablet to a satellite phone.”