tight

[ tahyt ]

adjective

, tight·er, tight·est.

1. firmly or closely fixed in place; not easily moved; secure:

   a tight knot.

2. drawn or stretched so as to be tense; taut.
3. affording little or no extra room; fitting closely, especially too closely:

   a tight collar.

4. difficult to deal with or manage:

   to be in a tight situation.

5. of such close or compacted texture, or fitted together so closely, as to be impervious to water, air, steam, etc.:

   a good, tight roof.

6. concise; terse:

   a tight style of writing.

7. firm; rigid:

   his tight control of the company.

8. carefully arranged or organized and full; affording little leeway; packed:

   a tight schedule.

9. nearly even; close:

   a tight race.

10. Informal.
    1. close, as friends; familiar or intimate.
    2. united:

       The strikers are tight in their refusal to accept the proposed contract.

11. parsimonious; stingy.

    Synonyms: sparing, saving, frugal, mean, close

12. Slang. amazing; cool:

    Your new place is tight!

13. Older Slang. drunk; tipsy.
14. characterized by scarcity or eager demand; limited; restricted:

    a tight job market;

    tight money.

15. Journalism. (of a newspaper) having more news available than is required for or utilizable in a particular issue.
16. Baseball. inside ( def 18 ).
17. Scot. and North England. competent or skillful.
18. tidy; orderly.
19. neatly or well built or made.

adverb

, tight·er, tight·est.

1. in a tight manner; closely; securely; tautly; firmly:

   Shut the door tight.

   The shirt fit tight across the shoulders.

2. soundly or deeply:

   to sleep tight.

tight

/ taɪt /

adjective

1. stretched or drawn so as not to be loose; taut

   a tight cord

2. fitting or covering in a close manner

   a tight dress

3. held, made, fixed, or closed firmly and securely

   a tight knot

4. 1. of close and compact construction or organization, esp so as to be impervious to water, air, etc
   2. ( in combination )

      watertight

      airtight

5. unyielding or stringent

   to keep a tight hold on resources

6. cramped or constricted

   a tight fit

7. mean or miserly
8. difficult and problematic

   a tight situation

9. hardly profitable

   a tight bargain

10. economics
    1. (of a commodity) difficult to obtain; in excess demand
    2. (of funds, money, etc) difficult and expensive to borrow because of high demand or restrictive monetary policy
    3. (of markets) characterized by excess demand or scarcity with prices tending to rise Compare easy
11. (of a match or game) very close or even
12. (of a team or group, esp of a pop group) playing well together, in a disciplined coordinated way
13. informal.
    drunk
14. informal.
    (of a person) showing tension
15. archaic.
    neat

adverb

1. in a close, firm, or secure way

   pull it tight

2. sit tight
   1. to wait patiently; bide one's time
   2. to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly
3. sleep tight
   to sleep soundly

Derived Forms

• ˈtightly, adverb
• ˈtightness, noun

Other Words From

• tightly adverb
• tightness noun
• over·tight adjective
• over·tightly adverb
• over·tightness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tight¹

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”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tight¹

C14: probably variant of thight, from Old Norse thēttr close; related to Middle High German dīhte thick

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. sit tight, to take no action.

More idioms and phrases containing tight

• in a bind (tight corner)
• sit tight

Example Sentences

Just make sure the cap is on tight so it doesn’t leak, and that the bottle is not hot enough to burn you.

From Popular-Science

It may have been a lucky tip that led Freeman to the arrest, but it was his ability to connect with the tight-knit community—and his passion for investigating the heists—that put him in a position to receive it.

From Popular-Science

Brady threw three touchdowns passes, two to tight end Rob Gronkowski and one to wideout Antonio Brown.

From Washington Post

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes finally got in sync with star tight end Travis Kelce, who had just one catch before the drive but then had four for 41 en route to the field goal.

From Washington Post

The Kansas City defense had a goal-line stand in the second quarter to keep the game temporarily tight.

From Washington Post

And that means they also fall under the umbrella of programs most likely to get the axe when state and federal budgets are tight.

From The Daily Beast

Because of the thinness of the air, there is a very tight margin between the correct and incorrect airspeeds, as little as 50 mph.

From The Daily Beast

Weirich said whenever she saw Fox, she was wearing something too tight.

From The Daily Beast

Major League Baseball, though, is still being tight-lipped about what the end of the embargo might mean for the sport.

From The Daily Beast

Missy also gets a bit tight-lipped when it comes to her personal life.

From The Daily Beast

"It's always the way with them," sighed Miss Grains, who suffered from a complication of romantic tendency and very tight stays.

From Project Gutenberg

His boyish suspenders had been put away in favor of a belt, which was tight-drawn about his slim waist.

From Project Gutenberg

She took to staring out across the grounds again, and one hand drew up slowly till it was doubled into a tight-shut little fist.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a very simple plan, and will be perfectly tight; it is by restoring an equilibrium on both sides of the piston.

From Project Gutenberg

Before that time we always put rope-yarn between the lap of the boiler-plates to make the seams tight.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• compact
• cramped
• fast
• inflexible
• narrow
• rigid
• solid
• stable
• steady
• stiff
• strained
• strong
• sturdy
• taut
• tense
• thick
• tightened