tight

[ tahyt ]

/ taɪt /

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See synonyms for: tight / tighter / tightest / tightly on Thesaurus.com

adjective, tight·er, tight·est.

firmly or closely fixed in place; not easily moved; secure: a tight knot.

drawn or stretched so as to be tense; taut.

affording little or no extra room; fitting closely, especially too closely: a tight collar.

difficult to deal with or manage: to be in a tight situation.

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

concise; terse: a tight style of writing.

firm; rigid: his tight control of the company.

carefully arranged or organized and full; affording little leeway; packed: a tight schedule.

nearly even; close: a tight race.

Informal.

close, as friends; familiar or intimate.
united: The strikers are tight in their refusal to accept the proposed contract.

parsimonious; stingy.

Slang. amazing; cool: Your new place is tight!

Older Slang. drunk; tipsy.

characterized by scarcity or eager demand; limited; restricted: a tight job market;tight money.

Journalism. (of a newspaper) having more news available than is required for or utilizable in a particular issue.

Baseball. inside (def. 18).

Scot. and North England. competent or skillful.

tidy; orderly.

neatly or well built or made.

adverb, tight·er, tight·est.

in a tight manner; closely; securely; tautly; firmly: Shut the door tight.The shirt fit tight across the shoulders.

soundly or deeply: to sleep tight.

OTHER WORDS FOR tight

11 close, mean, frugal, saving, sparing.

See synonyms for tight on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about tight

sit tight, to take no action.

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”)

OTHER WORDS FROM tight

tightly, adverbtightness, nouno·ver·tight, adjectiveo·ver·tight·ly, adverb

o·ver·tight·ness, noun

Words nearby tight

tiger shark, tiger snake, tiger swallowtail, Tiger! Tiger! burning bright, Tiggerish, tight, tight as a drum, tight as a tick, tightass, tight-assed, tighten

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tight in a sentence

Just make sure the cap is on tight so it doesn’t leak, and that the bottle is not hot enough to burn you.
How to stay warm while sleeping in the frigid outdoors|Alisha McDarris|February 12, 2021|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.
Bee theft is almost a perfect crime—but there’s a new sheriff in town|Andrew Zaleski|February 9, 2021|Popular-Science
Brady threw three touchdowns passes, two to tight end Rob Gronkowski and one to wideout Antonio Brown.
That really was one of the least enjoyable Super Bowls of all time|Neil Greenberg|February 9, 2021|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.
Super Bowl highlights: Bucs celebrate championship, Tom Brady wins MVP|Des Bieler, Mark Maske, Chuck Culpepper|February 8, 2021|Washington Post

The Kansas City defense had a goal-line stand in the second quarter to keep the game temporarily tight.
Buccaneers defeat Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, 31-9, as Tom Brady claims his seventh championship|Mark Maske|February 8, 2021|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.
How to Solve the Policing Crisis|Keli Goff|January 5, 2015|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.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Weirich said whenever she saw Fox, she was wearing something too tight.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Major League Baseball, though, is still being tight-lipped about what the end of the embargo might mean for the sport.
Is Major League Baseball Ready For Cuba’s Players?|Ben Jacobs|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Missy also gets a bit tight-lipped when it comes to her personal life.
Masters of Alt Sex: SuicideGirls Hits Puberty and Wants to Invade Your TV Set|Marlow Stern|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"It's always the way with them," sighed Miss Grains, who suffered from a complication of romantic tendency and very tight stays.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
His boyish suspenders had been put away in favor of a belt, which was tight-drawn about his slim waist.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
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.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
It is a very simple plan, and will be perfectly tight; it is by restoring an equilibrium on both sides of the piston.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Before that time we always put rope-yarn between the lap of the boiler-plates to make the seams tight.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for tight

tight

/ (taɪt) /

adjective

stretched or drawn so as not to be loose; tauta tight cord

fitting or covering in a close mannera tight dress

held, made, fixed, or closed firmly and securelya tight knot

of close and compact construction or organization, esp so as to be impervious to water, air, etc
(in combination)watertight; airtight

unyielding or stringentto keep a tight hold on resources

cramped or constricteda tight fit

mean or miserly

difficult and problematica tight situation

hardly profitablea tight bargain

economics

(of a commodity) difficult to obtain; in excess demand
(of funds, money, etc) difficult and expensive to borrow because of high demand or restrictive monetary policy
(of markets) characterized by excess demand or scarcity with prices tending to riseCompare easy (def. 8)

(of a match or game) very close or even

(of a team or group, esp of a pop group) playing well together, in a disciplined coordinated way

informal drunk

informal (of a person) showing tension

archaic, or dialect neat

adverb

in a close, firm, or secure waypull it tight

sit tight

to wait patiently; bide one's time
to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly

sleep tight to sleep soundly

Derived forms of tight

tightly, adverbtightness, noun

Word Origin for tight

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with tight

tight

In addition to the idioms beginning with tight

tight as a drum
tight as a tick
tighten one's belt
tighten the screws
tight rein on, a
tight ship
tight spot
tight squeeze

also see:

in a bind (tight corner)
sit tight

tight

OTHER WORDS FOR tight

Idioms about tight

Origin of tight

OTHER WORDS FROM tight

Words nearby tight

Words related to tight

How to use tight in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tight

Derived forms of tight

Word Origin for tight

Other Idioms and Phrases with tight