- 1 held or fixed in position firmly; difficult to move or undo He kept a tight grip on her arm. She twisted her hair into a tight knot. The screw was so tight that it wouldn't move. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, feel, look, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry clothes
- 2 fitting closely to your body and sometimes uncomfortable She was wearing a tight pair of jeans. These shoes are much too tight. The new sweater was a tight fit. opposite loose see also skintight Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, feel, look, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry control
- 3 very strict and firm to keep tight control over something We need tighter security at the airport. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, seem, become, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry stretched
- 4 stretched or pulled so that it cannot stretch much further The rope was stretched tight. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, feel, look, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry close together
- 5[usually before noun] with things or people packed closely together, leaving little space between them There was a tight group of people around the speaker. With six of us in the car it was a tight squeeze. money/time
- 6difficult to manage with because there is not enough We have a very tight budget. The president has a tight schedule today. The deadline for finishing the project is too tight (= too soon). Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, look, seem, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry expression/voice
- 7looking or sounding anxious, upset, angry, etc. ‘I'm sorry,’ she said, with a tight smile. see also uptight See related entries: Anger part of body
- 8feeling painful or uncomfortable because of illness or emotion synonym constricted He complained of having a tight chest. Her throat felt tight, just looking at her baby. relationship
- 9having a close relationship with somebody else or with other people It was a tight community and newcomers were not welcome. see also tight-knit bend/curve
- 10curving suddenly rather than gradually The driver slowed down at a tight bend in the road. The plane flew around in a tight circle. contest/race
- 11with runners, teams, etc. that seem to be equally good synonym close2 a tight race not generous
- 12(informal, disapproving) not wanting to spend much money; not generous synonym mean He's very tight with his money. drunk
- 13[not usually before noun] (old-fashioned, informal) drunk synonym tipsy -tight
- 14(in compounds) not allowing the substance mentioned to enter measures to make your home weathertight see also airtight, watertight Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘healthy, vigorous’, later ‘firm, solid’): probably an alteration of thight ‘firm, solid’, later ‘close-packed, dense’, of Germanic origin; related to German dicht ‘dense, close’.Extra examples Every muscle in her face was drawn tight. I think we’d better leave—time’s getting very tight. Keep the rope tight. Security at the airport remains tight. The cloth was stretched tight over the frame. The rope suddenly went tight. Those jeans are getting too tight for me. She managed to reverse into a tight parking space. The screw was so tight that it wouldn’t move. With six of us in the car it was a tight squeeze. Are the controls tight enough? Those jeans have got too tight and I can’t wear them any more.Idioms
firm
to organize something in a very efficient way, controlling other people very closely
a very difficult or dangerous situation She’ll always help if you’re in a tight spot.
to control somebody/something carefully or strictly It’s essential to keep a tight rein on public spending.
Check pronunciation: tight
