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View synonyms for

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: , , , ,
  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

/ ٲɪ /

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

    1. of close and compact construction or organization, esp so as to be impervious to water, air, etc

    2. ( in combination )

      watertight

      airtight

  4. unyielding or stringent

    to keep a tight hold on resources

  5. cramped or constricted

    a tight fit

  6. mean or miserly

  7. difficult and problematic

    a tight situation

  8. hardly profitable

    a tight bargain

  9. 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

  10. (of a match or game) very close or even

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

  12. informaldrunk

  13. informal(of a person) showing tension

  14. archaicneat

“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

adverb

  1. in a close, firm, or secure way

    pull it tight

    1. to wait patiently; bide one's time

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

  2. to sleep soundly

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • tightly adverb
  • tightness noun
  • overtight adjective
  • overtightly adverb
  • overtightness noun
  • ˈپٱ adverb
  • ˈپٲԱ noun
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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 ٳŧٳٰ (cognate with Old English -thiht “firm, solid,” Dutch, German dicht “tight, close, dense”)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tight1

C14: probably variant of thight, from Old Norse ٳŧٳٰ close; related to Middle High German īٱ thick
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. sit tight, to take no action.

In addition to the idioms beginning with tight, also see in a bind (tight corner); sit tight.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But the pair could barely be separated in a tight second set, both saving break points before Maria sent it to a tie-break.

From

Despite enormous amounts of spending, money will still be painfully tight in some parts of government.

From

Out of all the guys in the crowd, there was just something about him and his tight jeans, his boots and his cowboy hat.

From

“All the guys have bought into a lot of rookie bonding stuff by the team,” said tight end Terrance Ferguson, who is expected to have a big role this season.

From

Gadsden, a converted wide receiver, will team with free-agent acquisition Tyler Conklin, who has had at least 50 catches in each of the last four seasons, to boost the tight end position.

From

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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.

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Tiggerishtight as a drum