tight

[tahyt]

adjective

tighter, tightest 

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.

17. Scot. and North England.,  competent or skillful.

18. tidy; orderly.

19. neatly or well built or made.

adverb

tighter, tightest 

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. 1. to wait patiently; bide one's time

   2. to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly

3. to sleep soundly

Other Word Forms

• tightly adverb
• tightness noun
• overtight adjective
• overtightly adverb
• overtightness 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

Clever as they are, both parties make it out of a tight spot just fine, but it’s Bob who’s left to pick up the pieces.

From Salon

"Mossley is really a tight community and we always rally round and help each other on here," she added.

From BBC

By this stage, the exasperated European pair - as well as vice-captain Eduardo Molinari - were pointing out hecklers to the police officers, who had visibly moved in tighter in a bid to calm the mood.

From BBC

Centre left political parties in many countries are grappling with how to deal with demographics, immigration, an era where public money is very tight.

From BBC

"The biggest thing for me is staying tight with the girls," she said more than a month ago, as the tournament stretched out before her.

From BBC

Related Words

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