tight
Americanadjective
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tighter,
comparative
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tightest
superlative
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firmly or closely fixed in place; not easily moved; secure.
a tight knot.
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drawn or stretched so as to be tense; taut.
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affording little or no extra room; fitting closely, especially too closely.
a tight collar.
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difficult to deal with or manage.
to be in a tight situation.
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of such close or compacted texture, or fitted together so closely, as to be impervious to water, air, steam, etc..
a good, tight roof.
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a tight style of writing.
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his tight control of the company.
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carefully arranged or organized and full; affording little leeway; packed.
a tight schedule.
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nearly even; close.
a tight race.
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Informal.
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close, as friends; familiar or intimate.
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united.
The strikers are tight in their refusal to accept the proposed contract.
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Your new place is tight!
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characterized by scarcity or eager demand; limited; restricted.
a tight job market;
tight money.
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Journalism. (of a newspaper) having more news available than is required for or utilizable in a particular issue.
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Baseball. inside.
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Scot. and North England. competent or skillful.
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neatly or well built or made.
adverb
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in a tight manner; closely; securely; tautly; firmly.
Shut the door tight.
The shirt fit tight across the shoulders.
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soundly or deeply.
to sleep tight.
idioms
adjective
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stretched or drawn so as not to be loose; taut
a tight cord
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fitting or covering in a close manner
a tight dress
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held, made, fixed, or closed firmly and securely
a tight knot
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of close and compact construction or organization, esp so as to be impervious to water, air, etc
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( in combination )
watertight
airtight
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unyielding or stringent
to keep a tight hold on resources
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cramped or constricted
a tight fit
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mean or miserly
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difficult and problematic
a tight situation
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hardly profitable
a tight bargain
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economics
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(of a commodity) difficult to obtain; in excess demand
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(of funds, money, etc) difficult and expensive to borrow because of high demand or restrictive monetary policy
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(of markets) characterized by excess demand or scarcity with prices tending to rise Compare easy
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(of a match or game) very close or even
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(of a team or group, esp of a pop group) playing well together, in a disciplined coordinated way
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informal drunk
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informal (of a person) showing tension
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archaic neat
adverb
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in a close, firm, or secure way
pull it tight
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to wait patiently; bide one's time
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to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly
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to sleep soundly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of tight
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, pronunciation variant of Middle English thight “dense, solid, tight,” from Old Norse thēttr (cognate with Old English -thiht “firm, solid,” Dutch, German dicht “tight, close, dense”)
Explanation
If something is closed or fastened so firmly that it can barely be moved, it's tight. And if you accidentally shrunk your favorite pair of jeans in the wash, they might be tight too. There are many ways to use this handy adjective, including to mean "very firm," like the tight grip you keep on your dog's leash, and "strictly imposed," like a movie star's tight security. If things in your household are tight, they're scarce: "Money's tight this month, so it's peanut butter for lunch." And if you and your cousin are tight, it means you're emotionally close to each other.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
El-Sayed is in a tight race against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers and has put out what he calls “terms of engagement” for data centers to proceed, including clear community benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Few details from the closed-door gathering, held under tight security, will be made known until it concludes on Thursday, but the timing of the meeting is crucial.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
The pressure on CoreWeave’s bonds has sparked jitters across the technology landscape in part due to the tight relationships that big companies have with one another.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Stafford became the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown passes by connecting with tight end Davis Allen for two and with Nacua for another in a victory that improved the Rams’ record to 3-4.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
Dad’s mask must’ve been on nice and tight when Officer Clueless spoke to him, but that’s no surprise.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
MarketWatch columnist Aditi Shrikant explains how a tighter budget, automatic payments and unexpected cash windfalls can shrink your balance without sacrificing your financial safety net.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Hong Kong also dived more than three percent, with NetEase and Tencent taking a battering, while Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com were also weighed by government calls for tighter quality standards.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
A dissociation constant describes how strongly two molecules bind to one another, with lower values generally indicating tighter binding.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
Being far more ruthless and determined, Miller would no doubt run a tighter ship than Pulte or McCarthy.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
Danny held on tighter because the salty wind pushed against them.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
“It’s the tightest turnaround in MCG history. Getting it right matters, because the AFL finals are one of the most important times of the year for us.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
In February, for instance, the U.S.-Japan 2-year-yield spread was the tightest since early 2022.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Rather than a shootout or penalty kicks, the championship was decided by a single moment of quality in one of the tournament’s tightest contests.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
And that code binds tightest on the men with the most to acknowledge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
I answered, and I gave her the tightest hug I could give.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
