1 (tight) [+rope] tirante; tenso; [+skin] tirante the rope is held taut by weights la cuerda se mantiene tirante or tensa mediante unos pesos
His muscles, held taut for so long, can now relax The line is held taut and then lashed to the bollard
to pull sth taut tensar algo
The two men holding the ropes [pulled] them taut The gown was [pulled] taut across the curves of her body
to stretch sth taut estirar algo hasta que quede tirante
the fabric/rope/etc was stretched taut the canvas needs to be stretched taut
2 (tense) [+person, face, voice] tenso Their [faces] were taut, their eyes blank Ben sat up quickly, his [face] taut and terrified Little by little she lost the taut, strained [look] of perpetual anxiety and began to come back to life Tom's voice was taut as though on the edge of losing control
their faces were taut with fear tenían el rostro tenso por el miedo
3 (firm) [+body, legs] firme; de carnes prietas; [+muscles] firme That summer she had shed the weight gained during pregnancy, her [body] was trim and taut her taut leg muscles Richard was tall and taut, with the athletic frame of a tennis player
4 (tightly written) [+novel, film] compacto ...a funny, taut [novel] that is just surreal enough to keep the reader hooked ...Besson's taut thriller about a junkie forced to atone for murder by becoming a government assassin
