English
tight
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-, from Proto-Indo-European *ten-.

Cognate with Scots ticht, Western Frisian ticht, Danish tæt, Icelandic þéttur, Norwegian tett, Swedish tät, Dutch dicht, German dicht.

Pronunciation Adjective

tight (comparative tighter, superlative tightest)

  1. Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
    a tight sponge; a tight knot
    1. Unyielding or firm.
      tight control on a situation; tight clothing
    2. Under high tension; taut.
      Make sure to pull the rope tight.
      • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC ↗:
        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. […] .
    3. (colloquial) Scarce, hard to come by.
      I grew up in a poor neighborhood; money was very tight, but we made do.
    4. (colloquial, figurative) Intimately friendly.
      We've grown tighter over the years.
    5. (slang, figurative, 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.
  3. Well-rehearsed and accurate in execution.
    Their marching band is extremely tight.
    1. (sport) Not conceding many goals.
  4. (slang) Intoxicated; drunk or acting like being drunk.
    We went drinking and got tight.
    • 1940, Effie Butler, Misbehaving Husbands:
      I'm going to celebrate my divorce! And then I'm going 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 1, scene 1:
      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, page 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. (of time) Limited or restricted.
    We had a very tight schedule.
  8. (obsolete) Not ragged; whole; neat; tidy.
    • 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 ↗:
      clad very plain, but clean and tight
    • 1714, John Gay, The What D'ye Call It:
      I'll spin and card, and keep our children tight.
    • 1887, W. S. Gilbert, Ruddigore:
      Richard: But here she comes! [...] (Enter Rose — he is much struck by her.) By the Port Admiral, but she's a tight little craft!
    • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC ↗:
      “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.
  9. (obsolete) Handy; adroit; brisk.
  10. (poker) Of a player, who plays very few hands.
  11. (poker) Using a strategy which involves playing very few hands.
  12. (informal, of persons) Intimate, close, close-knit.
    Synonyms: thick as thieves
  13. (United States, slang, motor racing) A car with understeer, primarily used to describe NASCAR stock cars.
  14. (New York) Angry or irritated.
    • 2016, Cardi B, Washpoppin:
      "I was trying to be like a lady, but y'all be getting me tight!"
  15. (slang, vulgar, of either a woman's anus or her vagina) still intact due to her still being a virgin.
Synonyms Antonyms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • German: tight
Translations Adverb

tight (comparative tighter, superlative tightest)

  1. Firmly, so as not to come loose easily.
    Make sure the lid is closed tight.
  2. Soundly.
    Good night, sleep tight.
Synonyms Antonyms Translations Translations
  • French: (sleep) bien
Verb

tight (tights, present participle tighting; simple past and past participle tighted)

  1. (obsolete) To tighten.


This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
Offline English dictionary