I. ˈtīt, usu -īd.+V adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English, alteration of thight, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse thēttr tight, close; akin to Old English mete thīht thick with food, Middle Low German & Middle High German dīhte close, thick, Gothic theihan to increase, progress, Middle Irish tēcht coagulated, Sanskrit tanakti it causes to coagulate; basic meaning: thick, thicken
1. : of firm compact texture : dense , solid
2. : so close in structure as not to permit passage of a liquid or gas : not slack or leaky : firm or solid in condition
a tight roof
as
a. : proof or proofed against the entry or exit of something expressed or implied
the ship was sound and tight
a tight cask
— usually used in combination
gas tight fitting
an air tight cover
b.
(1) : impervious to moisture : watertight
(2) : not giving free passage to water
tight clay soils are often wet and sour
c. : wet 11
d. : impervious to the activity or effect of
a hog- tight fence
3.
a. : fixed firmly or securely in place so as to be difficult to move
loosen a tight jar cover
a tight sticking door
the roots are very long and tight
b. : faithful , constant
4. : not slack or loose: as
a. : firmly stretched, drawn, or set : taut
a tight drumhead
the rope was tight and firm
b. : fitting closely and usually too closely (as for comfort or good taste)
a tight dress
a painfully tight shoe
c. of the respiratory passages : congested, constricted, or sometimes dehydrated so as to be partially occluded
her throat was tight with fear
the tight clogged nose of a bad head cold
d. : having the participants in close touch with one another
a tight formation in football
e. : excessively precise without breadth of treatment
a work of art that is unduly harsh and tight in treatment
5. chiefly dialect
a. : marked by energetic competence : capable , alert , ready
b. : marked by shapely graceful form : comely
c.
(1) : trim and tidy in dress
(2) : neat and orderly in arrangement or design : snug
6. : difficult to get through or out of : not readily coped with or circumvented : trying , exacting
in a tight corner for money
a good man in a tight situation
as
a. : firm in control : designed to master and maintain order
kept a tight hand on all his affairs
b. : unwilling to part with money or other possessions : miserly ; often : difficult to do business with because of this tendency
perfectly honest but tight in all his dealings
c. : evenly contested : close
a tight tennis match
tight play in a game
7. : packed or compressed to the limit : entirely full
a tight bale
as
a. : full of liquor : intoxicated , drunken
b. of language : highly condensed and often to the point of loss of fluency
a tight literary style
c. of printed matter
(1) : closely spaced
a tight line
(2) : so full as to make insertion of additional matter difficult
a tight page
(3) of a line : set to full measure and safe to lift
d. : having little space available for news usually because of large volume of advertising to be accommodated
a tight edition of a newspaper
e. : full 12a
8.
a. : scantily supplied or obtainable in proportion to demand : available only in inadequate amounts to meet existent needs
tight money is delaying construction
steel is very tight just now
— compare easy 2f(2)
b. : characterized by such a scarcity
a tight labor market
9. of lumber : sound in every way and free from ring shakes and checks
logs with tight hearts
Synonyms:
taut , tense : tight is likely to describe a snug binding together, a close drawing together of all parts, a confining constriction, or a cornering or squeezing together
a tight coat
forming tight ranks
a tight roof
shoelaces that were too tight
in a tight position
taut applies to what has been stretched or drawn out to the limit; in reference to persons taut may describe the effects of strain making a drain on nervous energy
pulling the ropes taut
her sails are loose, her tackles hanging, waiting men to seize and haul them taut — Amy Lowell
their look of horror as they stared up at me, eyes and mouths open and faces taut — Norman Cousins
tense calls attention strongly to a keyed-up, intent condition or to tension and strain
signalman, tense and alert, awaited the word to flash out orders by blinker — Alexander Forbes
yet she was, as always after a concert, tense and nervous, filled with a terrible energy which would not let her sleep until dawn — Louis Bromfield
he is tense, jittery — a mass of jangled nerves — his fingers tremble as he lights one cigarette after another — S.N.Behrman
Synonym: see in addition drunk , stingy .
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. obsolete : to make tight and especially watertight
2. chiefly dialect : to put in order : tidy — used with up
III. adverb
( -er/-est )
1. : tightly , firmly , hard
holding tight to the rail
the door was shut tight
2. chiefly dialect : soundly , vigorously , thoroughly
fell tight asleep
IV. noun
( -s )
: something that is tight: as
a. slang : a difficult or trying situation : a tight place
pulled him out of a tight — F.B.Gipson
b. : close forward play in rugby — often used with the ; contrasted with loose
packs which could hold their own with any, whether in the tight or loose — O.L.Owen
c.
(1) : a radio or television program that is barely held within time limits
(2) : a television close shot made with a narrow angle lens
V.
archaic
past of tie
VI. adjective
1. : marked by friendliness and compatibility : close
the Men's Alpine Ski Team is a tight bunch, surprisingly free of backbiting — Herbert Burkholz
2. : being or performing music in a polished style with precise arrangements
some favor tight playing, with crisply articulated notes, others open playing, generally faster and more flowing — Eleanor Blau