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Inflections of 'tight ' (adj tighter adj comparative tightest adj superlative
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026 tight /taɪt/USA pronunciation
adj. andadv., -er, -est. adj.
firmly fixed in place;a tight knot. drawn or stretched tense;tight muscles. fitting closely, esp. too closely:That tight collar is choking me. difficult to deal with or manage:a tight situation. of such close texture or fit as to prevent air, water, etc., from getting through:a tight roof. firm;Security was tight after the bomb blast. allowing little space, time, etc., between parts;a tight schedule. nearly even;a tight race. stingy;a tight old boss who never gives raises. Slang Terms drunk;a little tight after the party. (of a market, etc.) in a condition in which demand is greater than supply:Money is tight because interest rates are high. feeling tense or painful:He said his chest felt tight, and then he had a heart attack. adv.
in a tight manner;Shut the door tight. soundly or deeply:to sleep tight. Idioms
Idioms run a tight ship , to be smooth and efficient, as at a company:The new boss ran a tight ship. tight•ly , adv. : The dress fit too tightly. tight•ness , n. [ uncountable ] : complained of tightness in his chest.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026 tight
(tīt),USA pronunciation adj. -er, -est, adv., -er, -est. adj.
firmly or closely fixed in place;a tight knot. drawn or stretched so as to be tense; affording little or no extra room;a tight collar. difficult to deal with or manage:to be in a tight situation. of such close or compacted texture, or fitted together so closely, as to be impervious to water, air, steam, etc.:a good, tight roof. concise;a tight style of writing. firm;his tight control of the company. carefully arranged or organized and full;a tight schedule. nearly even;a tight race. [ Informal.] close, as friends; united:The strikers are tight in their refusal to accept the proposed contract. parsimonious; Slang Terms drunk;characterized by scarcity or eager demand;a tight job market; tight money. Journalism (of a newspaper) having more news available than is required for or utilizable in a particular issue.Sport [ Baseball.] Scottish Terms competent or skillful.tidy. neatly or well built or made. adv.
in a tight manner;Shut the door tight. The shirt fit tight across the shoulders. soundly or deeply:to sleep tight. sit tight , to take no action. Old Norse thēttr (cognate with Old English -thiht firm, solid, Dutch, German dicht tight, close, dense) late Middle English, sandhi variant of Middle English thight dense, solid, tight 1400–50 tight′ ly , adv. tight′ ness , n. 11. close, niggardly, mean, grasping, frugal, sparing.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
tight /taɪt / adj stretched or drawn so as not to be loose; taut fitting or covering in a close manner held, made, fixed, or closed firmly and securely : a tight knot of close and compact construction or organization, esp so as to be impervious to water, air, etc (in combination ) : watertight , airtight unyielding or stringent cramped or constricted : a tight fit mean or miserly difficult and problematic : a tight situation hardly profitable : a tight bargain (of a commodity) difficult to obtain; in excess demand (of funds, money, etc) difficult and expensive to borrow because of high demand or restrictive monetary policy (of markets) characterized by excess demand or scarcity with prices tending to rise (of a match or game) very close or even (of a team or group, esp of a rock group) playing well together, in a disciplined coordinated way informal drunk informal (of a person) showing tension adv in a close, firm, or secure way Etymology: 14th Century: probably variant of thight, from Old Norse thēttr close; related to Middle High German dīhte thick ˈtightly adv ˈtightness n
'tight ' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):