TIGHT


Meaning of TIGHT in English

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)

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.