tight

comparative tighter · superlative tightest

1. Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.

   a tight sponge; a tight knot

   1 more example

   Pull your seatbelts tight before takeoff.

   1. Unyielding or firm.

      tight control on a situation

   2. Under high tension; taut.

      Make sure to pull the rope tight.

      3 more examples

      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. […].

      1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

      The only negative from a comfortable first-half was the sight of Aston Villa’s Nathan Delfouneso being withdrawn with a tight hamstring after only 11 minutes.

      2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph

      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.

      2011 July 25, Don Peck, “Can the Middle Class Be Saved?”, in The Atlantic

      Synonyms: taut

   3. colloquialScarce, hard to come by.

      I grew up in a poor neighborhood; money was very tight, but we made do.

      1 more example

      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.

      1974, “Asia and the Pacific”, in Yearbook on International Communist Affairs 1974, Stanford, Cali.: Hoover Institution Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 428

   4. figurativelyinformalIntimate, close, close-knit, intimately friendly.

      We've grown tighter over the years.

      1 more example

      The drawbacks of being in a too-tight couple (there's no room to blow your nose)

      1985 April 20, Julie Ogletree, “Festival: Variety and Limits”, in Gay Community News, page 8

      Synonyms: close, close-knit, intimate, thick as thieves

   5. derogatoryfigurativelyslangusuallyMiserly or frugal.

      He's a bit tight with his money.

      1 more example

      You say he's a Jew, does it mean that he's tight?

      1995, Jewel, “Who Will Save Your Soul”

      Synonyms: niggardly

   6. slangShort of money.

      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.

      2015, Melissa Pearl, Poker Face

2. design or arrangementNarrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.

   They flew in a tight formation.

   3 more examples

   The passageway was so tight we could barely get through.

   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.

   2020 September 5, David Hytner, “Raheem Sterling keeps his cool to see off Iceland amid blaze of late drama”, in The Guardian

   Armed forces and RCMP officers formed tight grid lines to search the surrounding woods and rural fields.

   2026 July 25, Nicholas Muhoro, “The Last Call of Jo-Anne Pedersen, the Girl Who Vanished From a Payphone”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026

   1. design or arrangementFitting close, or too close, to the body.

      tight clothing;  a tight coat;  My socks are too tight.

      Synonyms: figure-hugging

   2. design or arrangementOf 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. design or arrangementLacking holes; difficult to penetrate; waterproof.

      He reported the hull was tight and secure and did not leak a drop.

      1965, MotorBoating, page 145

      1 more example

      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.

      2014 November 27, Ian Black, “Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis”, in The Guardian

   4. design or arrangementClose, very similar in a value such as score or time.

      […] was a tight game and particularly low-scoring in the first half.

      2022, Lew Freedman, Caught by Don Hutson!, page 78

      3 more examples

      Frank ended up fourth in a tight finish, only three-quarter of a length from first money.

      1984, Harness Horse

      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.

      2012 September 30, John Torres, Carmelo Anthony, Mitchell Lane Publishers, Inc., →ISBN, page 14

      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.

      2023 June 1, Pat Nevin, Football And How To Survive It, Hachette UK, →ISBN

3. Well-rehearsed and accurate in execution.

   Their marching band is extremely tight.

   1. hobbiesNot conceding many goals.

      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.

      2014 October 18, Paul Doyle, “Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter”, in The Guardian

4. slangIntoxicated; drunk.

   We went drinking and got tight.

   5 more examples

   And every single night when me da’ would come home tight he’d invite the neighbours out with this chorus.

   c. 1930, Dominic Behan, “Come Out Ye Black and Tans”performed by The Wolfe Tones

   I'm going to celebrate my divorce! And then I'm going to get tight.

   1940, Effie Butler, Misbehaving Husbands

   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.

   1955, J. D. Salinger, “Franny”, in Franny and Zooey, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, published 1991, →ISBN, page 5

   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

   1975, Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, “Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More”, performed by Steely Dan

   And then he insisted on champagne for dinner and by the time we got to our little cinema we were both rather tight.

   1980 [1962], Ian Fleming, chapter 3, in The Spy Who Loved Me, →ISBN, page 38

   Synonyms: blotto

5. slangExtraordinarily great or special.

   That is one tight bicycle!

   Synonyms: ace

6. Northern Englandslangchiefly LiverpoolMean; unfair; unkind.

   Saying shit about people's mums, that's tight

   2020, “M to the B”performed by Millie B

   3 more examples

   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.

   1977, Willy Russell, Our Day Out, act 1, scene 1

   "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?"

   2001, Kevin Sampson, Outlaws, page 244

   "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.

   2011, Andrew Hicks, Thai Girl: A story of the one who said 'no', unnumbered page

7. Limited or restricted.

   We had a very tight schedule.

   1 more example

   It is kept super-clean by helpful staff who still find the time to help customers with tight connections.

   2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: Eastbourne”, in RAIL, number 948, page 26

8. obsoleteNot ragged; whole; neat; tidy.

   clad very plain, but clean and tight

   1685 November 4 (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

   3 more examples

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

   1714, John Gay, The What D'ye Call It

   Richard: But here she comes! [...] (Enter Rose — he is much struck by her.) By the Port Admiral, but she's a tight little craft!

   1887, W. S. Gilbert, Ruddigore

   “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.

   1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC

   Synonyms: ruly

9. obsoleteHandy; adroit; brisk.

   [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.

   1846, George Little, The American Cruiser's Own Book, page 21

   Synonyms: crafty

10. card gamesOf a player, who plays very few hands.

    He is a very tight player and folds over 80% of his hands.

11. card gamesUsing a strategy which involves playing very few hands.

    The tight-aggressive poker strategy requires folding a lot of hands, but betting big when playing them.

12. USslanghobbiesWith understeer, primarily used to describe NASCAR stock cars.
13. New YorkslangAngry or irritated.

    "I was trying to be like a lady, but y'all be getting me tight!"

    2016, Cardi B, Washpoppin

14. slangvulgarOf a person, having a tight vagina or anus.

    She was very tight and wet at the same time. He never had sex with a maiden before.

    2014 August 26, Agnieszka Roeske, Not the One for Her, Page Publishing Inc, →ISBN

    2 more examples

    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.

    2008 July 2, Linda Mi-Suk Enos, The Korean Palace of Honolulu Revised (6x9), Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 222

    One thing I noticed was that she was much tighter than Kari. She was so tight, in fact, that entering her was initially painful.

    2021, Brandon Varnell, WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior: Volume 8, Kitsune Incorporated, →ISBN

comparative tighter · superlative tightest

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

   Hold on tight to the rope.

   1 more example

   'I had my eyes tight shut.'

   1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 100

   Synonyms: fast, firmly, securely, tightly

2. Soundly.

   Good night, sleep tight.

   Synonyms: soundly, well

present singular third person tights · participle present tighting · participle past tighted · past tighted

1. obsoleteTo make tight; tighten.
2. obsoleteTo make water-tight.