English

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        The only negative from a comfortable first-half was the sight of Aston Villa’s Nathan Delfouneso being withdrawn with a tight hamstring after only 11 minutes.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.
      • 2014, Paul Doyle, "Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter", The Guardian, 18 October 2014:

        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.

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.
   • John Evelyn (1620-1706)

     clad very plain, but clean and tight

   • Thomas Gray (1716-1771)

     I'll spin and card, and keep our children tight.

   • 1907, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “chapter IX”, in The Younger Set (Project Gutenberg; EBook #14852), New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, published 1 February 2005 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 4241346:

     “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

• (pushed/pulled together): close, serried (of ranks), tight-fitting (of clothes)
• (narrow): narrow
• (under high tension): taut, tense, under tension
• (well-rehearsed and accurate): polished, precise
• (intimately friendly): close, close-knit, intimate
• (slang: intoxicated): See also Wikisaurus:drunk
• (slang: extraordinarily great or special): ace, cool, fab, rad, slick

Antonyms

• (pushed/pulled together): baggy (of clothing or other material), loose, sagging, saggy, slack
• (narrow): broad, capacious, open, roomy, spacious, wide
• (under high tension): loose, relaxed, slack
• (well-rehearsed and accurate): slack, slapdash, sloppy
• (slang: extraordinarily great or special): crap, naff, pathetic, rubbish

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

tight ‎(comparative more tight, superlative most tight)

1. Firmly, so as not to come loose easily.

   Make sure the lid is closed tight.

2. Soundly.

   Good night, sleep tight.

Synonyms

• (firmly): fast, firmly, securely
• (soundly): soundly, well

Antonyms

• (firmly): loosely
• (soundly): badly, fitfully

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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

1. (obsolete) To tighten.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowing from English tight.

Noun

tight m ‎(invariable)

1. morning suit, morning dress