tight

English

Etymology

From Middle English tight, tyght, tyȝt, tiht, variants of thight, thiht, from Old English *þīht, *þiht (attested in meteþiht) and Old Norse þéttr, both from Proto-Germanic *þinhtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tenkt- (“dense, thick, tight”), from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch, pull”). Cognate with Scots ticht, West Frisian ticht, Danish tæt, Icelandic þéttur (“dense”), Norwegian tett, Swedish tät, Dutch dicht (“dense”), German dicht (“dense”).

Pronunciation
  • enPR: tīt, IPA(key): /taɪt/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -aɪt

Adjective

tight (comparative tighter, superlative tightest)

  1. Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
    tight cloth; a tight knot
    1. Unyielding or firm
      tight control on a situation
    2. Under high tension.
      Make sure to pull the rope tight.
      • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess‎:
        The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue. […].
      • 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph:
        The only negative from a comfortable first-half was the sight of Aston Villa’s Nathan Delfouneso being withdrawn with a tight hamstring after only 11 minutes.
    3. (colloquial) Scarce, hard to come by.
      I grew up in a poor neighborhood; money was very tight, but we made do.
    4. (colloquial, figuratively) Intimately friendly.
      We've grown tighter over the years.
    5. (slang, figuratively, usually derogatory) Miserly or frugal.
      He's a bit tight with his money.
  2. (of a space, design or arrangement) Narrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.
    The passageway was so tight we could barely get through.
    They flew in a tight formation.
    1. Fitting close, or too close, to the body.
      a tight coat;  My socks are too tight.
    2. Of a turn, sharp, so that the timeframe for making it is narrow and following it is difficult.
      The mountain pass was made dangerous by its many tight corners.
    3. Lacking holes; difficult to penetrate; waterproof.
      • 1965, MotorBoating, page 145
        He reported the hull was tight and secure and did not leak a drop.
      • 2014, Ian Black, "Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis", The Guardian, 27 November:
        Security is tight inside and outside the building, guarded by a bewildering collection of soldiers, policemen and gendarmes. Relatives watch as prisoners in handcuffs and leg irons shuffle past.
  3. Well-rehearsed and accurate in execution.
    Their marching band is extremely tight.
    1. (sports) Not conceding many goals.
  4. (slang) Intoxicated; drunk or acting like being drunk.
    We went drinking and got tight.
    • 2001, Gaelic Storm, Johnny Tarr (on the album Tree):
      Johnny walked into the Castle Bar, looking to get tight.
  5. (slang) Extraordinarily great or special.
    That is one tight bicycle!
  6. (slang, British (regional)) Mean; unfair; unkind.
    • 1977, Willy Russell, Our Day Out, Act One, Scene One:
      Reilly: Ey, Miss, hang on, hang on... can we come with y', Miss? Can we?
      Digga: Go on, Miss, don't be tight, let's come.
    • 2001, Kevin Sampson, Outlaws, p.244:
      "Ah leave him, ay!" goes one of the girls. "Don't be tight." I turns to her. "Don't you think it's tight terrorising old ladies? Ay?"
    • 2011, Andrew Hicks, "Thai Girl: A story of the one who said 'no'", unnumbered page:
      "That's right ... so even when life's a grind, the Thais keep smiling. They think the farang are a miserable lot who have to get drunk to enjoy themselves."
      "Dutch, that's tight mate, I mean what's wrong with getting pissed. When you're not working, you gotta have a good time," said Darren.
  7. (obsolete) Not ragged; whole; neat; tidy.
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Evelyn
      clad very plain, but clean and tight
    • (Can we date this quote?) Thomas Gray
      I'll spin and card, and keep our children tight.
    • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:
      “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; and she looked it, always trim and trig and smooth of surface like a converted yacht cleared for action. Near her wandered her husband […] from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.
  8. (obsolete) Handy; adroit; brisk.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  9. (poker) Of a player, who plays very few hands. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
  10. (poker) Using a strategy which involves playing very few hands. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms
Terms derived from the adjective tight

Translations
narrow — see narrow

Adverb

tight (comparative more tight, superlative most tight)

  1. Firmly, so as not to come loose easily.
    Make sure the lid is closed tight.
    • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 100:
      'I had my eyes tight shut.'
  2. Soundly.
    Good night, sleep tight.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms
Terms derived from the adverb tight

Translations

Verb

tight (third-person singular simple present tights, present participle tighting, simple past and past participle tighted)

  1. (obsolete) To tighten.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English tight.

Noun

tight m (invariable)

  1. morning suit, morning dress
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