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:
Starmer was also part of a tight E3 trio with Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Burnham will likely want to maintain.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Moyeen Islam, a Barclays fixed-income strategist, last week calculated the tight correlation between U.S. and U.K. 30-year yields since 2023.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
An international research team led by scientists in Canada has uncovered a likely explanation for one of the more unusual features of snake development: why embryos curl into tight spirals before hatching.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
Chilean copper producer Antofagasta cut its production forecast after a powerful storm stopped operations at its Los Pelambres mine in July, squeezing an already tight market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Black Star stood with his ears curled back tight against his head.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
“In many cases, a tighter, more carefully curated assortment allows us to buy more efficiently, manage inventory risk, and offer our retail partners better value,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
As a publically-listed company, Shein will need to "prove its margins still work in a world of tighter regulation, tariffs and more expensive customer acquisition," she added.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Housing, agriculture, small business and commercial real estate face something considerably tighter.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
A further decline in prices could add to concerns about economic activity, while stronger housing demand could reinforce the case for tighter policy if inflation remains elevated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
We had to go through a rundown part of town, and as we drove past those buildings, I wrapped my jacket tighter around my chest, even though Dad was blasting the heater.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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
It was the tightest of calls, with Khalilzadeh's toe marginally ahead of the penultimate defender.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Now, supply is the tightest it has ever been and memory prices have skyrocketed.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
She holds her arms out, and I let her wrap me up in the biggest, tightest hug I didn’t know I needed.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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.
