# tight

Pronunciation: say "TYT" /taɪt/

## Adjective

1. Of things joined, fastened, or bound together: held so firmly that there is no slack, movement, or gap between the parts.
   - Simple: Held together firmly, with no loose or open parts.
   - _Make sure the lid is tight before you shake the jar, or the dressing will end up all over the counter._
   - _Engineers checked that every bolt on the bridge was tight._
2. Fitting closely, or too closely, against the body.
   - Simple: Close to the body, with little or no extra room.
   - _Her jeans were so tight after the holidays that she could barely button them._
   - _She complained that the new boots felt tight across the toes._
3. Limited or restricted in amount or extent.
   - Simple: Limited, with little room or extra to spare.
   - _With such a tight deadline, the team worked through the weekend._
   - _Space in the new office is tight, so desks are shared._
4. Held under high tension; stretched taut.
   - Simple: Pulled hard so that it is stretched and not loose.
   - _The rope between the two trees was tight enough to hang the wet laundry on._
   - _If the drum skin isn't tight, it gives a dull thud instead of a sharp crack._
6. Narrow, so that something or someone has difficulty passing through.
   - Simple: So narrow that it is hard to get through.
   - _The hikers squeezed through a tight gap between the boulders._
   - _Movers struggled to carry the sofa up the tight staircase._
7. Close, with very similar values such as scores or times.
   - Simple: Very close, with almost the same score or time.
   - _Polls showed a tight contest between the two candidates._
   - _The match stayed tight, with neither team pulling ahead._
8. Of a turn or bend, sharp, so that there is little room and time to make it and following it is difficult.
   - Simple: Of a turn, so sharp that it is hard to follow.
   - _The go-kart track is full of tight turns that test your reflexes._
   - _Skiers slowed for the tight switchback near the summit._
9. Having little money to spend at the moment. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Not having much money at the moment.
   - _We're pretty tight this year, so the vacation will have to wait._
   - _He's been tight for money since losing his side job._
10. Firm and unyielding, so that it does not loosen or give way, as a strong grip or strict control does.
   - Simple: Firm and strict, not easily changed or moved.
   - _The new policy enforces tight discipline in the classroom._
   - _Officials maintained tight control of the borders._
11. Closely bonded; intimately friendly or close-knit. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Very close as friends and trusting each other.
   - _Those two have been tight since middle school, and they still talk every day._
   - _She and her cousin are really tight._
12. Well-rehearsed and precise in execution.
   - Simple: Done very well and without mistakes, after lots of practice.
   - _The opening set was tight, every cue landing exactly on time._
   - _After months of rehearsal, the band sounded tight, with every horn hitting the same note at the same instant._
16. Unwilling to spend money; miserly or frugal. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Not wanting to spend money and very careful with it.
   - _My uncle is famously tight and never picks up the check._
   - _She's not poor, just tight with her money._
13. Scarce; difficult to obtain or come by.
   - Simple: Hard to get because there is not much of it.
   - _Affordable housing is tight in the city center._
   - _With supplies tight, the store limited each customer to two cans._
14. Having no gaps or holes, so that water cannot pass through; waterproof.
   - Simple: Having no gaps or holes, so that water cannot get through.
   - _Once the new shingles went on, the roof was finally tight, and the attic stayed dry through the spring storms._
   - _The cooper tested whether each barrel was tight enough to hold liquid._
15. Describing a person whose vagina or anus feels narrow and firm. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Having a vagina or anus that feels narrow and firm.
   - _His crude remark implied she was tight._
   - _The locker-room banter turned to whether the new partner was tight._
18. In team sports, allowing very few goals against.
   - Simple: In sports, very good at stopping the other team from scoring.
   - _The squad remained tight at the back, conceding only three goals._
   - _Even when outnumbered in midfield, their defense looked tight._
19. Exceptionally good, special, or impressive. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Very good, excellent, or impressive.
   - _His remix was tight, and the whole crowd lost it._
   - _His new car is tight, with custom rims and a sound system that shakes the whole block._
20. Drunk; noticeably affected by alcohol. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Drunk from drinking too much alcohol.
   - _My grandmother still laughs about the night Grandpa came home a little tight and tried to unlock the neighbors' door._
   - _"I'm afraid I got rather tight at the club last night," the old colonel admitted over breakfast._

## Adverb

5. Firmly, in a way that keeps something from coming loose.
   - Simple: In a firm way, so that something does not come loose.
   - _Screw the cap on tight to keep the drink from spilling._
   - _He shut the door and held it tight against the wind._
17. Soundly; deeply, as of sleep.
   - Simple: Deeply and well, used about sleeping.
   - _"Sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite," her grandfather would say as he switched off the lamp._
   - _Goodnight, sleep tight, see you in the morning._

## Verb

21. To make something tight; to tighten. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make something tight or firm.
22. To make something water-tight. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To seal something so that water cannot get through it.

## Adjective

23. Neat and tidy; whole and not ragged. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Neat, tidy, and not torn or worn out.
24. Handy, skillful, and brisk. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Quick, skillful, and good with your hands.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Angry or annoyed.
- (adjective) In poker and other card games, playing very few hands, or describing a cautious style of play that enters very few hands.
- (adjective) In stock-car racing, having understeer; not turning sharply enough through the corners.
- (adjective) Mean, unfair, or unkind.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–20, 23–24** — From Middle English tight, a variant of thight, from Old English *þiht (seen in meteþiht), tracing back through Proto-Germanic *þinhtaz to a Proto-Indo-European root *ten- meaning "to stretch, pull." It is related to Dutch and German dicht, Danish tæt, and Icelandic þéttur ("dense"). The modern t- sound, rather than the expected th-, arose under the influence of the unrelated verbs tighten and tight.
**Meanings 21–22** — From Middle English tighten, thyhten ("to make tight"); see tighten.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tight (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).