tight-lipped
Americanadjective
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speaking very little; taciturn; close-mouthed.
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having the lips drawn tight.
adjective
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reticent, secretive, or taciturn
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with the lips pressed tightly together, as through anger
Etymology
Origin of tight-lipped
First recorded in 1875–80
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.
Fed chair Kevin Warsh has been tight-lipped on any future decisions, but his comments that the central bank's focus should be on slowing price rises has further fuelled expectations of a rise.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Hargitay has been tight-lipped about what producers have in store for the night, though she did reveal her aspirations for doing something in the vein of an “SVU musical” during the ceremony.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
The couple kept tight-lipped about the fifth-floor apartment until 2012, at which point the building made headlines for a dryer-induced fire that destroyed much of the 5,800-square-foot home.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Warsh’s tight-lipped strategy faced a reality check at his second meeting, in July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Her dress was a cream-colored parfait of flounces and bows, but her expression, so gay and animated a moment before, was now furious and tight-lipped.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
