| English Dictionary |
TIGHT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does tight mean?
• TIGHT (adjective)
The adjective TIGHT has 14 senses:
1. closely constrained or constricted or constricting
2. pulled or drawn tight
3. set so close together as to be invulnerable to penetration
4. pressed tightly together
5. (used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
6. affected by scarcity and expensive to borrow
7. of such close construction as to be impermeable
8. of textiles
9. securely or solidly fixed in place; rigid
10. (of a contest or contestants) evenly matched
11. very drunk
12. exasperatingly difficult to handle or circumvent
13. demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
14. packed closely together
Familiarity information: TIGHT used as an adjective is familiar.
• TIGHT (adverb)
The adverb TIGHT has 2 senses:
1. firmly or closely
2. in an attentive manner
Familiarity information: TIGHT used as an adverb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
| Declension: comparative and superlative |
Superlative: tightest
Sense 1
Meaning:
Closely constrained or constricted or constricting
Context example:
a tight feeling in his chest
Similar:
choky (so tight as to tend to choke)
clenched; clinched (closed or squeezed together tightly)
close; close-fitting; snug (fitting closely but comfortably)
skin-tight; skintight (so tight as to cling to the skin)
skinny; tight-fitting; tight fitting; tightfitting; tightly fitting (fitting snugly)
viselike (clamped as in a vise)
Also:
tight (of such close construction as to be impermeable)
tense (taut or rigid; stretched tight)
Antonym:
loose (not tight; not closely constrained or constricted or constricting)
Derivation:
tightness (a tight feeling in some part of the body)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Pulled or drawn tight
Synonyms:
taut; tight
Context example:
a tight rope
Similar:
tense (taut or rigid; stretched tight)
Derivation:
tightness (lack of movement or room for movement)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Set so close together as to be invulnerable to penetration
Context example:
a tight blockade
Similar:
invulnerable (immune to attack; impregnable)
Derivation:
tightness (the spatial property of being crowded together)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Pressed tightly together
Synonyms:
compressed; tight
Context example:
with lips compressed
Similar:
closed; shut (used especially of mouth or eyes)
Sense 5
Meaning:
(used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
Synonyms:
Context example:
he left a miserly tip
Similar:
stingy; ungenerous (unwilling to spend (money, time, resources, etc.))
Derivation:
tightness (extreme stinginess)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Affected by scarcity and expensive to borrow
Context example:
a tight market
Similar:
scarce (deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand)
Domain category:
economic science; economics; political economy (the branch of social science that deals with the production and distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management)
Derivation:
tightness (a state occasioned by scarcity of money and a shortage of credit)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Of such close construction as to be impermeable
Context example:
warm in our tight little house
Similar:
air-tight; airtight; gas-tight (not allowing air or gas to pass in or out)
watertight (not allowing water to pass in or out)
snug (well and tightly constructed)
rainproof; waterproof; waterproofed (not permitting the passage of water)
leakproof (not subject to leaks)
hermetic (completely sealed; completely airtight)
dripless (designed to prevent dripping)
Also:
tight (closely constrained or constricted or constricting)
seaworthy (fit for a sea voyage)
impermeable (preventing especially liquids to pass or diffuse through)
Antonym:
leaky (permitting the unwanted passage of fluids or gases)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Of textiles
Synonyms:
close; tight
Context example:
smooth percale with a very tight weave
Similar:
fine (of textures that are smooth to the touch or substances consisting of relatively small particles)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Securely or solidly fixed in place; rigid
Context example:
the bolts are tight
Similar:
secure (not likely to fail or give way)
Sense 10
Meaning:
(of a contest or contestants) evenly matched
Synonyms:
close; tight
Context example:
a tight game
Similar:
equal (having the same quantity, value, or measure as another)
Sense 11
Meaning:
Very drunk
Synonyms:
besotted; blind drunk; blotto; cockeyed; crocked; fuddled; loaded; pie-eyed; pissed; pixilated; plastered; slopped; sloshed; smashed; soaked; soused; sozzled; squiffy; stiff; tight; wet
Similar:
drunk; gone; inebriated; intoxicated; ripped (stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol))
Domain usage:
argot; cant; jargon; lingo; patois; slang; vernacular (a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves))
Sense 12
Meaning:
Exasperatingly difficult to handle or circumvent
Synonyms:
nasty; tight
Context example:
a good man to have on your side in a tight situation
Similar:
difficult; hard (not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure)
Sense 13
Meaning:
Demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
Synonyms:
Context example:
stringent safety measures
Similar:
demanding (requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill)
Sense 14
Meaning:
Packed closely together
Context example:
the pub was packed tight
Similar:
compact (closely and firmly united or packed together)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Firmly or closely
Synonyms:
fast; tight
Context example:
held tight
Sense 2
Meaning:
In an attentive manner
Synonyms:
Context example:
he remained close on his guard
Context examples
The other most important aspect on December 25 is Jupiter’s tight presence to the Sun and new moon, the reason this eclipse will be so joyous.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
The astrocytic endfeet release molecules that regulate the tight junctions between the endothelial cells.
(Brain tumor invasion along blood vessels may lead to new cancer treatments, NIH)
That’s a very close orbit, possibly the tightest orbital dance ever witnessed for a star and black hole.
(Astronomers Find Closest Star to A Black Hole, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
She knocked at the door—surprise visit, I guess, for he kept his life in water-tight compartments—he let her in, couldn’t keep her in the street.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Then he passed his handkerchief over his brow, set his lips tight, and turned his face towards us.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The great breast and heavy fore legs were no more than in proportion with the rest of the body, where the muscles showed in tight rolls underneath the skin.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
I held tight; and I thought I was going to win, for I didn't mean Him to take any more of her life, till I saw His eyes.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
This has the effect of forcing the nanoparticles to bind together into tight clusters.
(Colour-changing artificial ‘chameleon skin’ powered by nanomachines, University of Cambridge)
This allele, which encodes angiomotin protein, is involved in the regulation of tight junction formation.
(AMOT wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)
This protein plays a role in the organization of tight junctions.
(Cingulin-Like Protein 1, NCI Thesaurus)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"The one who does not make you happy when he arrives makes you happy when he leaves" (Breton proverb)
"He who laughs last laughs best." (American proverb)
"He who has money and friends, turns his nose at justice." (Corsican proverb)