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tight Definition

tight (tīt)

adjective

  1. Obsolete dense
  2. so close or compact in structure that water, air, etc. cannot pass through a tight boat
  3. drawn, packed, spaced, etc. closely together a tight weave, a tight schedule of events
  4. Dialectal snug; trim; neat
  5. fixed securely; held firmly; firm a tight joint
  6. fully stretched; taut, not slack or loose
  7. fitting closely, esp. too closely, so as to be uncomfortable
  8. strict; restraining; severe tight control
  9. difficult to manage: esp. in the phrase a tight corner (or squeeze, etc.), a difficult situation
  10. showing tension or strain a tight smile
  11. almost even or tied; close a tight race
  12. of a short radius; sharp: said of a spiral, curve, turn, etc.
    1. difficult to get; scarce in relation to demand: said of commodities on a market, or of money available for loans
    2. characterized by such scarcity a tight market
  14. concise; condensed: said of language, style, etc.
  15. Now Chiefly Dial. well-proportioned; shapely
  16. Dialectal competent; capable
  17. Informal stingy; parsimonious
  18. Slang drunk
  19. ☆ Slang intimate; familiar; friendly: usually with with

Etymology: ME, altered (prob. infl. by toght: see taut) < thight < OE -thight, strong, akin to ON thēttr, Ger dicht, tight, thick < IE base *tenk-, to thicken, congeal > MIr tēcht, coagulated

adverb

in a tight manner; esp.,

  1. securely or firmly hold tight, sit tight
  2. Informal soundly sleep tight

tight Related Forms
tight′ly adverb tight′·ness noun
tight Idioms

sit tight

to keep one's opinion or position and wait

tight Synonyms

tight

modif.

  1. Firm

    taut, secure, fast, bound up, close, clasped, fixed, steady, tense, stretched thin, established, compact, strong, stable, enduring, steadfast, unyielding, unbending, set, stuck hard, hidebound, invulnerable, snug, sturdy; see also firm 1.

    Antonyms loose*, tottery, shaky.

  2. Closed

    sealed, airtight, impenetrable, impermeable, impervious, watertight, hermetically sealed, padlocked, bolted, locked, fastened, shut tight, clamped, fixed, tied, snapped, swung to, tied up, nailed, spiked, slammed, obstructed, blocked, blind, shut, stopped up, plugged; see also waterproof.

    Antonyms open*, penetrable, unprotected.

  3. Closefitting

    pinching, shrunken, snug, uncomfortable, cramping, skintight, short, crushing, choking, smothering, cutting.

    Antonyms loose*, ample, wide.

  4. *Intoxicated

    drunk, inebriated, drunken, tipsy; see drunk.

  5. *Stingy

    miserly, parsimonious, close; see stingy.

  6. Difficult to obtain; said especially of money

    scarce, frozen, tied up; see rare 2.

tight implies a constricting or binding encirclement a tight collar or such closeness or compactness of parts as to be impenetrable airtight; taut (and often tight) is applied to a rope, cord, cloth, etc. that is pulled or stretched to the point where there is no slackness taut sails; tense suggests a tightness or tautness that results in great strain tense muscles See also syn. study at drunk.

sit tight*

do nothing, refrain from action, stay put; see remain 1.

tight Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • angle: Fuller cut in from the right wing and sent a low drive under the body of Miller from the tightest of angles.

Modifying Another Word

  • incredibly: Computacenter also had to deploy the environment in an incredibly tight timescale.
  • extremely: Security will be extremely tight at Rome's main passenger airport, Leonardo da Vinci.
  • too: The only possible way on rapidly became too tight.
  • fairly: In fact, I have it fairly tight, but still with enough give in it to allow me to bend notes.
  • very: In four very tight games, the Anthony Ricketts v Martin Heath match really could have been anyone's.
  • pretty: I had to hold on pretty tight to mine in order to stay sitting on it.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • keep: He and Ben Fielding kept things relatively tight to start with, but the real squeeze came when the 2 spinners came on.

Modifies a noun

  • deadline: Question: Can you work under pressure or tight deadlines?
  • playeryou: And tight playeryou the players based have improved their.
  • squeeze: Between Worlds Passage continues for 10m to a large step over or tight squeeze around a hole in the floor.
  • budget: Students on a tighter budget may forego these luxuries in order to pay lower rent.
  • timescales: Able to work to tight timescales without compromising quality of output.
  • timescale: Computacenter also had to deploy the environment in an incredibly tight timescale.

Used with adjective complement

  • squeeze: This supermarket chain already has British farmers and consumers in a stranglehold now they want to squeeze even tighter.
  • pull: Choke A sling is threaded by passing one end through the opposite end and then pulled tight.
  • sit: Bank of England and Fed need to sit tight " Thankfully, this scenario does not apply to the UK this time.
  • become: The only possible way on rapidly became too tight.
  • seem: The duck came quickly and seemed tighter, or our helmets had grown, but the entrance crawl seemed shorter but just as wet.
  • remain: Food supply also remains tight in several other central Asian countries.
tight Quotes

   But I'm dying now and done for, What on earth was all the fun for? I am ill and old and terrified and tight.

—Betjeman, SirJohn