From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtighttight1 /taɪt/ ●●● S2 W3 adjective (comparative tighter, superlative tightest) 1 clothesTIGHT tight clothes fit your body very closely, especially in a way that is uncomfortable OPP loose tight jeans My shoes were so tight that I could hardly walk. The jacket is rather a tight fit (=it fits too tightly).2 pulled/stretched firmlyTIGHT string, wire, cloth etc that is tight has been pulled or stretched firmly so that it is straight or cannot move The bandage must be tight enough to stop the bleeding. She tied the rope around the post and pulled it tight.3 attached firmlyTIGHT a screw, lid etc that is tight is firmly attached and difficult to move Check that the screws are tight.4 → a tight hold/grip5 strictCONTROL controlling something very strictly or firmly The government is keeping tight control on immigration.keep a tight grip/hold/rein on something (=control it very firmly) The former dictator still keeps a tight grip on power. Anna was determined to keep a tight hold on her feelings. Security is always tight for the opening day of parliament.run/keep a tight ship (=manage a company, organization etc strictly and effectively)6 little moneyPOOR if money is tight, you do not have enough of itmoney is tight/things are tight Money was tight and he needed a job badly. As you know, I run the magazine on a pretty tight budget. 7 little timeTIME THAT IS PLANNED if time is tight, it is difficult for you to do everything you need to do in the time available Time is tight, and she has another meeting to go to this afternoon. We should arrive on time, but it’ll be tight. As usual, his schedule on Saturday was tight (=he had arranged to do several things in a short time). I'm working to a very tight deadline (=I have to finish a piece of work very quickly).8 little spaceSPACE/ROOM if space is tight, there is only just enough space to fit something into a placebe a tight squeeze/fit Six in the car will be a tight squeeze.9 not generous informal not generous, or trying hard to avoid spending money Don’t be so tight!10 close togetherNEAR placed or standing closely together The animal’s body was curled up in a tight little ball. She wore her hair in a tight bun.11 close relationshipRELATIONSHIP a tight group of people, countries etc have a close relationship with each other SYN tight-knit Together, the young film-makers formed a tight group. the tight bonds that had grown between them 12 bend/turnCFBEND a tight bend or turn is very curved and turns quickly in another direction Danny lost control on a tight bend, and the car ran off the road.13 chest/stomach/throatMI if your chest, stomach, or throat feels tight, it feels painful and uncomfortable, because you are ill or worried Before she went on stage her chest felt tight and her throat hurt.14 expression/smile/voiceANNOYUPSET a tight expression, smile, or voice shows that you are annoyed or worried SYN tight-lipped ‘Look, I’m sorry ..., ’ she said, forcing a tight smile.15 → in a tight corner/spot16 play/performanceAP playing a piece of music or giving a performance very exactly and well, without any pauses or mistakes The band gave a really tight performance. a tight, well-rehearsed production17 game/competitionDSCOMPETITION a tight game, competition etc is one in which the teams, players etc play equally well, and it is not easy to win The opening quarter of the game was very tight.18 drunk [not before noun] old-fashioned informalMIDRUNK drunk —tightness noun [uncountable] → airtight, watertight
Examples from the Corpus
tight• Security at the conference was extremely tight.• I don't wear my black dress very much. It's very tight around the waist.• She curled up in a tight ball as though to stop herself from breaking apart.• Money has been really tight because we had major car problems.• I never wear tight clothes - I just don't feel comfortable in them.• Though unwelcome, this decline was predicted and planned for - and spending was therefore rightly under tight constraint in 1992.• The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of cigarettes.• How else, they assume, but tight coordination and control to deal with so many moving parts?• a tight deadline• Make sure the lid is tight enough so that it won't leak.• If the straps aren't tight enough, the saddle can slip.• Laws controlling the emission of greenhouse gases are not nearly tight enough.• Her mother gave a tight, forced smile.• "Seat belt tight? Good, this could be a rough ride."• The humans had grown their winter coats, and the high buildings trembled in the tight grip of their stress equations.• The planes approached in a tight grouping.• Cover with a tight lid and refrigerate.• The treaty would place tight limits on weapons testing.• I've never been very good at reversing into tight parking spaces.• Mr Stoiber has been in the forefront of those calling for tighter restrictions on asylum-seekers and ordinary immigrants.• My schedule is very tight right now, but I'll try to fit you in.• a tight skirt• I just smiled a tight smile.• If your shirt collar's too tight, undo your top button.• Ken hasn't always been so tight with money.• My chest was tight with tension.a tight fit• It was going to be a tight fit.• After turning the Disc you have a tighter fit, but not necessarily a better one.• Life must go on, and eight records makes for a tight fit in a 40-minute programme.• We arrive in Paris, and make a tight fit into a tiny chambre de bonne in the Fifteenth Arrondissement.pulled ... tight• Richard moved his tongue on the roundness and the ragged break and the folds of foreskin wrinkled and pulled tight.• He pulled her tight against him, squashing her against his chest.• The running knot had pulled tight and was buried in the fur behind his ear.• She shrugged and pulled her coat tighter around her.• She was dressed in traditional black with a headscarf pulled tight beneath her chin.• Keeping your body upright and tummy pulled in tight, draw the raised leg across the body, leading with the ankle.• She pulled the string tight, strangling him.• Nakki caught me frowning at those stitches and pulled her lips tight to stop herself from smiling.Security ... tight• Because of the row over serialisation rights, security has been tight.• It was clear when we arrived at Heathrow airport that security was very tight.• Police, security guards and electronics had made security very tight.• Round here, security was tight.• Security was tight as he flew in to Ulster.tight budget• And, Tom was working on a tight budget.• Some may experience considerable pressure to meet technical or scientific goals within a short time or within a tight budget.• The panel wanted to make the new drugs accessible to poor Texans but was faced with a tight budget.• The government would end price controls and subsidies to industry, and impose tight budgets and curbs on welfare spending.• We had a really tight budget and we feared the cost of turning it into a home was way beyond our means.• But, befitting an era of tight budgets, only a little.• The competition set a fairly tight budget so Julia decided to mix second-hand clothes with new ones.• Working on a tight budget, we opted for more on-board memory at the expense of a large capacity harddisk.tight deadline• The department is working under a very tight deadline.• A strong background in quantitative analysis, careful attention to detail and an ability to work to tight deadlines are essential skills.• Thus he is confident of meeting the very tight deadlines for the Virgin order.• But working to scale from a cartoon drawing and meeting a tight deadline posed problems for the sculpture's designer.• Recruitment always operates to tight deadlines, such as catching the last post.• He interpreted Henry's wishes to the craftsmen and saw that tight deadlines were met.be a tight squeeze/fit• It was going to be a tight fit.• There were only ninety of them, but it was a tight squeeze.• It was a tight squeeze and she tore her jacket.• If you do it would be a tight squeeze for you all in Tom's house.tighttight2 ●●● S2 adverb TIGHTvery firmly or closely SYN tightly Hold tight to the handrail! I kept my eyes tight shut. → sit tight at sit(8), → sleep tight at sleep1(4)Examples from the Corpus
tight• Sylvia handed me a large parcel, tightly wrapped in brown paper.• Through the summer runup in technology stock prices, executives at the on-line service provider sat tight.• Betty's hand was tight across her mouth now and she turned swiftly away and went back into the scullery.• Pack it tight, add basketball footage as dramatic as it is trite, and throw it into the Hollywood Plot Machine.• Her eyes were shut tight as she screamed.• She lay with her eyes tight shut and her mind held to a determined blank.• She made his costume, cutting down a white linen shirt and fitting it tight up round the neck.tight shut• He was sitting on the floor among the cracker wrappings and the crumbs, his shoulders shaking, his eyes tight shut.• Lily froze underneath him, her eyes tight shut.• Sophie's eyes were tight shut.• Her eyes closed tight shut, and her forehead came to rest on the hands that gripped the bedpost.• She lay with her eyes tight shut and her mind held to a determined blank.• She squeezed her eyes tight shut, then opened them again, knowing what she'd see.• If I pressed my eyes tight shut they came, gold and black and red and silver.• She screwed her eyes tight shut, trying to forget the images of last night.Origin tight1 (1400-1500) thight “closely packed, solid, thick” ((14-19 centuries)), probably from a Scandinavian language 