tight
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: tīt
ipa: /taɪt/
rhymes: -aɪt
Forms: form: tighter
form: tightest
Etymology: From Middle English tight, tyght, tyȝt, tiht, variants of thight, thiht, from Old English *þiht, *þīht (attested in meteþiht), from Proto-West Germanic *þį̄ht(ī), 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”).
The current form with t- /t/ rather than etymologically-expected th- /θ/ arose in Middle English under the influence of the etymologically-unrelated verbs tighten and tight, which come from a different Proto-Indo-European root (starting with *d- and thus regularly having t-).
Senses: examples: text: a tight sponge; a tight knot
text: Pull your seatbelts tight before takeoff.
glosses: Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
examples: text: tight control on a situation
glosses: Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
Unyielding or firm.
examples: text: Make sure to pull the rope tight.
text: 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. […].
ref: 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
text: The only negative from a comfortable first-half was the sight of Aston Villa’s Nathan Delfouneso being withdrawn with a tight hamstring after only 11 minutes.
ref: 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph:
text: Global supply chains, meanwhile, have grown both tighter and more supple since the late 1990s—the result of improving information technology and of freer trade—making routine work easier to relocate.
ref: 2011 July 25, Don Peck, “Can the Middle Class Be Saved?”, in The Atlantic:
glosses: Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
Under high tension; taut.
examples: text: I grew up in a poor neighborhood; money was very tight, but we made do.
text: China’s currency, the jenminpi, has remained stable; the Chinese assert that it is the "world’s most stable currency." This is generally conceded to be the result of the care with which the Chinese economy and its tight budget are managed.
ref: 1974, “Asia and the Pacific”, in Yearbook on International Communist Affairs 1974, Stanford, Cali.: Hoover Institution Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 428:
glosses: Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
Scarce, hard to come by.
examples: text: We've grown tighter over the years.
text: The drawbacks of being in a too-tight couple (there's no room to blow your nose)
ref: 1985 April 20, Julie Ogletree, “Festival: Variety and Limits”, in Gay Community News, page 8:
glosses: Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
Intimate, close, close-knit, intimately friendly.
raw_tags: of persons or relationships
examples: text: He's a bit tight with his money.
text: You say he's a Jew, does it mean that he's tight?
ref: 1995, Jewel, “Who Will Save Your Soul”:
glosses: Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
Miserly or frugal.
examples: text: I started gambling when you were about four. Your mom and I were pretty tight for cash and I thought what the heck, it could get us some quick money.
ref: 2015, Melissa Pearl, Poker Face:
glosses: Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
Short of money.
examples: text: The passageway was so tight we could barely get through.
text: They flew in a tight formation.
text: England squeezed high and dominated the ball, penning Iceland back but the hosts kept the lines tight and it became clear that England would have to work for their openings.
ref: 2020 September 5, David Hytner, “Raheem Sterling keeps his cool to see off Iceland amid blaze of late drama”, in The Guardian:
qualifier: design or arrangement
glosses: Narrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.
raw_tags: of a space
examples: text: tight clothing;  a tight coat;  My socks are too tight.
qualifier: design or arrangement
glosses: Narrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.
Fitting close, or too close, to the body.
raw_tags: of a space
examples: text: The mountain pass was made dangerous by its many tight corners.
qualifier: design or arrangement
glosses: Narrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.
Of a turn, sharp, so that the timeframe for making it is narrow and following it is difficult.
raw_tags: of a space
examples: text: He reported the hull was tight and secure and did not leak a drop.
ref: 1965, MotorBoating, page 145:
text: 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.
ref: 2014 November 27, Ian Black, “Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis”, in The Guardian:
qualifier: design or arrangement
glosses: Narrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.
Lacking holes; difficult to penetrate; waterproof.
raw_tags: of a space
examples: text: Frank ended up fourth in a tight finish, only three-quarter of a length from first money.
ref: 1984, Harness Horse:
text: Syracuse had built another good first half lead of 11 points. In the second half, however, Kansas came back and the score was tight through the rest of the game. In the final seconds, Syracuse led 81-78.
ref: 2012 September 30, John Torres, Carmelo Anthony, Mitchell Lane Publishers, Inc., →ISBN, page 14:
text: […] was a tight game and particularly low-scoring in the first half.
ref: 2022, Lew Freedman, Caught by Don Hutson!, page 78:
text: We lost 1-0 the next day and, although it wasn't a bad performance, I couldn't help thinking that those one, two or even three drinks for some of the lads might have made all the difference to the tight scoreline.
ref: 2023 June 1, Pat Nevin, Football And How To Survive It, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
qualifier: design or arrangement
glosses: Narrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.
Close, very similar in a value such as score or time.
raw_tags: of a space
examples: text: Their marching band is extremely tight.
glosses: Well-rehearsed and accurate in execution.
examples: text: The odd thing was that Sunderland made the better start and showed early signs that they might pose serious problems to the Premier League’s tightest defence.
ref: 2014 October 18, Paul Doyle, “Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter”, in The Guardian:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Well-rehearsed and accurate in execution.
Not conceding many goals.
examples: text: We went drinking and got tight.
text: And every single night when me da’ would come home tight he’d invite the neighbours out with this chorus.
ref: c. 1930, Dominic Behan, “Come Out Ye Black and Tans”performed by The Wolfe Tones:
text: I'm going to celebrate my divorce! And then I'm going to get tight.
ref: 1940, Effie Butler, Misbehaving Husbands:
text: Do you actually know I’ve only danced with you twice in eleven months? Not counting that time at the Vanguard when you were so tight.
ref: 1955, J. D. Salinger, “Franny”, in Franny and Zooey, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, published 1991, →ISBN, page 5:
text: No my daddy don't live in that New York City no more, no more / He can't get tight every night, pass out on the barroom floor
ref: 1975, Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, “Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More”, performed by Steely Dan:
text: And then he insisted on champagne for dinner and by the time we got to our little cinema we were both rather tight.
ref: 1980 [1962], Ian Fleming, chapter 3, in The Spy Who Loved Me, →ISBN, page 38:
text: Johnny walked into the Castle Bar, looking to get tight
ref: 2001, “Johnny Tarr”, in Tree, performed by Gaelic Storm:
glosses: Intoxicated; drunk.
examples: text: That is one tight bicycle!
glosses: Extraordinarily great or special.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1977, Willy Russell, Our Day Out, act 1, scene 1:
text: "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?"
ref: 2001, Kevin Sampson, Outlaws, page 244:
text: "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.
ref: 2011, Andrew Hicks, Thai Girl: A story of the one who said 'no', unnumbered page:
text: Saying shit about people's mums, that's tight
ref: 2020, “M to the B”performed by Millie B:
qualifier: chiefly Liverpool
glosses: Mean; unfair; unkind.
examples: text: We had a very tight schedule.
text: It is kept super-clean by helpful staff who still find the time to help customers with tight connections.
ref: 2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: Eastbourne”, in RAIL, number 948, page 26:
glosses: Limited or restricted.
raw_tags: of time
examples: text: clad very plain, but clean and tight
ref: 1685 November 5 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 26 October 1685]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC:
text: I'll spin and card, and keep our children tight.
ref: 1714, John Gay, The What D'ye Call It:
text: Richard: But here she comes! [...] (Enter Rose — he is much struck by her.) By the Port Admiral, but she's a tight little craft!
ref: 1887, W. S. Gilbert, Ruddigore:
text: “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.
ref: 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
glosses: Not ragged; whole; neat; tidy.
examples: text: [S]ince we've sailed together, I've been conning over in my mind that the company of such miserable thieves and robbers was not to your liking, and would not suit such a tight lad with as good larning ^([sic]) as yourself.
ref: 1846, George Little, The American Cruiser's Own Book, page 21:
glosses: Handy; adroit; brisk.
topics: card-games
poker
glosses: Of a player, who plays very few hands.
topics: card-games
poker
glosses: Using a strategy which involves playing very few hands.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
motor-racing
racing
sports
glosses: With understeer, primarily used to describe NASCAR stock cars.
examples: text: "I was trying to be like a lady, but y'all be getting me tight!"
ref: 2016, Cardi B, Washpoppin:
glosses: Angry or irritated.
examples: text: She was much tighter than he thought she would be. It had been a while since she had anything but oral sex she had an adrenaline rush as she heart began to pound.
ref: 2008 July 2, Linda Mi-Suk Enos, The Korean Palace of Honolulu Revised (6x9), Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 222:
text: She was very tight and wet at the same time. He never had sex with a maiden before.
ref: 2014 August 26, Agnieszka Roeske, Not the One for Her, Page Publishing Inc, →ISBN:
text: One thing I noticed was that she was much tighter than Kari. She was so tight, in fact, that entering her was initially painful.
ref: 2021, Brandon Varnell, WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior: Volume 8, Kitsune Incorporated, →ISBN:
glosses: Of a person, having a tight vagina or anus.
Synonyms: sense: firmly held together
word: close
english: of ranks
translation: of ranks
word: serried
sense: pushed/pulled together
word: crowded
word: dense
word: compact
sense: under high tension
word: taut
word: tense
word: under tension
word: taut
sense: close, close-knit
word: close
sense: close, close-knit
word: close-knit
sense: close, close-knit
word: intimate
sense: close, close-knit
word: thick as thieves
sense: miserly or frugal
word: niggardly
word: parsimonious
word: stingy
sense: narrow
word: narrow
word: narrow
sense: fitting close to the body
word: figure-hugging
word: snug
word: tight-fitting
word: close-fitting
sense: well-rehearsed and accurate
word: polished
word: precise
word: meticulous
sense: slang: intoxicated
word: blotto
word: plastered
word: drunk
sense: slang: extraordinarily great or special
word: ace
word: cool
word: fab
word: rad
word: slick
word: excellent
sense: slang: mean; unfair; unkind
word: mean
sense: not ragged
word: ruly
word: shipshape
word: trim
word: orderly
sense: handy; adroit; brisk
word: crafty
word: dexterous
word: skilful
word: skilled
word: fast
word: firm
word: tight
word: trig
word: secure
Hypernyms: word: immobile
Hyponyms: word: close-fitting
word: compact
word: taut
Derived terms: word: airtight
word: as tight as a duck's arse
word: tight as a duck's arse
word: as tight as a gnat's chuff
word: tight as a gnat's chuff
word: as tight as Dick's hatband
word: blow me tight
word: bottle-tight
word: finger tight
word: finger-tight
word: hand-tight
word: hang tight
word: high and tight
word: hog tight
word: hug-me-tight
word: in tight
word: keep a tight rein on
word: not wrapped too tight
word: on a tight leash
word: skintight
word: stick-tight
word: sun-tight
word: supertight
word: tight-arse
word: tight-arsed
word: tight as a drum
word: tight as a duck's ass
word: tight as a tick
word: tight as Dick's hatband
word: tightass
word: tight-assed
word: tight building syndrome
word: tight closure
word: tight-collar
word: tighten
word: tight end
word: tighter than Dick's hatband
word: tighter than wallpaper
word: tight-fisted
word: tight-fitting
word: tight five
word: tighthead
word: tighties
word: tight junction
word: tight-knit
word: tight-laced
word: tight lattice
word: tight-lipped
word: tight lips
word: tight loop
word: tightly
word: tight money
word: tightness
word: tight oil
word: tight pants syndrome
word: tightrope
word: tights
word: tight scratch
word: tight ship
word: tight slap
word: tight spot
word: tightwad
word: tight whites
word: tightwire
word: tighty whities
word: uptight
word: weapons tight
sense: compound adjectives of the sense “closed or closely compacted so as to be impermeable or impervious to something”
word: airtight
sense: compound adjectives of the sense “closed or closely compacted so as to be impermeable or impervious to something”
word: dust-tight
sense: compound adjectives of the sense “closed or closely compacted so as to be impermeable or impervious to something”
word: gastight
sense: compound adjectives of the sense “closed or closely compacted so as to be impermeable or impervious to something”
word: light-tight
sense: compound adjectives of the sense “closed or closely compacted so as to be impermeable or impervious to something”
word: oiltight
sense: compound adjectives of the sense “closed or closely compacted so as to be impermeable or impervious to something”
word: raintight
sense: compound adjectives of the sense “closed or closely compacted so as to be impermeable or impervious to something”
word: steamtight
sense: compound adjectives of the sense “closed or closely compacted so as to be impermeable or impervious to something”
word: watertight
sense: compound adjectives of the sense “closed or closely compacted so as to be impermeable or impervious to something”
word: weathertight
Related terms: word: tighten