I. tight 1 S2 W3 /taɪt/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative tighter , superlative tightest )
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ tight , ↑ tightly ; verb : ↑ tighten ; noun : ↑ tightness ; adjective : ↑ tight ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: thight 'closely packed, solid, thick' (14-19 centuries) , probably from a Scandinavian language ]
1 . CLOTHES 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 FIRMLY 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 FIRMLY a screw, lid etc that is tight is firmly attached and difficult to move:
Check that the screws are tight.
4 . HOLDING SOMETHING FIRMLY a tight hold/grip if you keep or have a tight hold on something, you hold it firmly:
His mother kept a tight hold on his hand.
5 . STRICT 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 MONEY if money is tight, you do not have enough of it
money 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 TIME 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 SPACE if space is tight, there is only just enough space to fit something into a place
be 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 TOGETHER 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 RELATIONSHIP 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/TURN 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/THROAT 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/VOICE 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 . DIFFICULT SITUATION in a tight corner/spot informal in a difficult situation:
He’s a good man to have around if ever you’re in a tight corner.
‘Did something go wrong?’ ‘Let’s just say I got into a bit of a tight spot.’
16 . PLAY/PERFORMANCE 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 production
17 . GAME/COMPETITION 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 informal drunk
—tightly adverb :
Marie held the baby tightly in her arms.
—tightness noun [uncountable]
⇨ ↑ airtight , ↑ watertight
• • •
THESAURUS
■ rule/law/system
▪ strict a strict order or rule is one that must be obeyed:
There are strict rules about keeping tax records.
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He had strict instructions to return the key to me.
▪ tight tight controls or limits are very strict about what is allowed and what is not allowed:
The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of alcohol.
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There are tight regulations governing waste disposal.
▪ tough tough laws or rules are very strict:
They want tougher laws against drinking and driving.
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The federal government is introducing tough new rules on immigration.
▪ harsh harsh punishments or laws are very severe, often too severe:
There are harsh penalties for drug trafficking.
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The government has brought in harsh measures to combat the rioting taking place in many cities.
▪ stringent controlling what people can do with rules that have very high standards:
There are now stringent controls on pollution from all power stations.
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stringent new food safety regulations
II. tight 2 BrE AmE adverb
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ tight , ↑ tightly ; verb : ↑ tighten ; noun : ↑ tightness ; adjective : ↑ tight ]
very firmly or closely SYN tightly :
Hold tight to the handrail!
I kept my eyes tight shut.
⇨ sit tight at ↑ sit (8), ⇨ sleep tight at ↑ sleep 1 (4)