1Fixed, fastened, or closed firmly; hard to move, undo, or open.

1. 1.1 (of clothes or shoes) close-fitting, especially uncomfortably so.
   the dress was too tight for her

   a tight-fitting top

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Forget, if you can for a moment, her tight little body in that tight little uniform.
   • Like all tight clothes, they can cause indigestion and abdominal pain.
   • I refused to wear tight skirts, waistbands, or uncomfortable shoes.
   • How could she do her work if she was wearing such tight clothes anyway?
   • It should be noted that society was only willing to let these girls be heroines if they wore tight clothes and were beautiful.
   • Also tighten your shoes well and wear tight socks so that they will not come out of the shoes.
   • It was a tight, body fitting, top with a pretty two layered laced skirt.
   • She wore tight clothes, mostly tight shirts, and always had her hand on her hip.
   • My cousin was slightly overweight, but the fact that she wore such tight clothes anyway made her intimidating.
   • Never ride in cold weather with tight boots or shoes, nor close-fitting gloves.
   • Don't wear tight clothing or shoes that can cause pressure and blistering.
   • They were tight and painful and designed only for one thing, only halfway comfortable when she was lying down.
   • Do not wear uncomfortable or tight shoes that rub or cut into your feet.
   • ‘I didn't feel right wearing tight clothes and teaching men at the same time,’ she says.
   • It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
   • Evans has a pretty face and a body made for tight T-shirts, but he has negligible acting ability.
   • I like to wear tight clothes because they make me feel good.
   • Avoid wearing super tight clothes and underwire bras, if necessary.
   • She dressed in tight clothes and always let her hair down.
   • He was a rebel child, with the long hair and the tight clothes.

   Synonyms

   tight-fitting, close-fitting, narrow, figure-hugging, skintight, sheath-like

   informal sprayed on
2. 1.2 (of a grip) very firm.
   she released her tight hold on the dog

   figurative presidential advisers keep a tight grip on domestic policy

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Not only do they survive childbirth and carrying heavy loads, they know how to keep a tight grip on luck, love and happiness.
   • There is usually no need to strike, just make sure you have a tight grip on your rod.
   • He didn't say a word, just led me up the rest of the steps with a tight grip.
   • Her grip was too tight and I saw her face turn to worry as she examined first my left arm and then my right.
   • He clutched the flute in his tanned hand, which was slowly turning white at the knuckles because of his tight grip.
   • He returned the tight grip causing my gaze to turn up to him.
   • The guard tried to free himself from the tight grip as his face turned a deep shade of red and then went to purple.
   • This event suggests that they do not have a tight grip on this vital matter.
   • Whilst he's not waving ‘the big black stick’ in anger he certainly has a tight grip on it.
   • Flynn wants to keep a tight grip on the purse strings.
   • Jordan's heart pounded fast as she was caught in the man's tight grip.
   • His grip was tight and firm but it felt loving and soft.
   • She tried to turn, but the man's grasp on her body was too tight.
   • Kathy quickly grabbed a hold of my arm and held a firm, tight grip, leading me into the limousine that awaited us.
   • His grip was tight and ironlike, and he jerked her forward with a cruel air.
   • He maintained a tight grip on the sword as the force of the blow sent him skidding across the ice.
   • He made sure to keep a tight grip on it so he wouldn't leave it behind.
   • Tye caught Freyen's arm in a tight grip and smirked.
   • His hands had a tight grip on the steering wheel and his posture was anything but relaxed.
   • He reached up and patted her horse with his bandaged hand, careful to keep a tight grip on the reigns with the other as they walked down the broad main street.

   Synonyms

   firm, fast, secure, fixed, clenched, clinched
3. 1.3 (of a ship, building, or object) well sealed against something such as water or air.
   in combination a light-tight container

   Example sentencesExamples

   • If the house is fairly tight, the simplest route for makeup air to enter the structure is often the unused fireplace chimney.
   • This feature is especially helpful in tight homes, where appliances compete for less combustion air.
   • Composed of foam insulation sandwiched between two sheets of oriented strand board, SIPs create a tight home and save lumber.
   • Place the larger pastry rectangle over the top, pressing the edges together to seal and form a tight package.
   • A tight home can literally use up enough air that the fireplace flue is the only route for a fresh supply of outside air available.
   • The bilge pumps may have to run for hours and hours, just dealing with rain driven into a supposedly tight boat.
   • I have been told that the house is too tight, so that there is not enough fresh air getting into it.
   • Pigs have died after a ventilation failure in a tight building.

   Synonyms

   impervious, impenetrable, sealed, sound, hermetic

   watertight, waterproof, airtight

2(of a rope, fabric, or surface) stretched so as to leave no slack; not loose.

1. 2.1 (of muscles or skin) firm or taut.
   he showed off his tight abs

   the tight skin on your face may start to sag
2. 2.2 (of part of the body) feeling painful and constricted as a result of anxiety or illness.
   there was a tight feeling in his gut

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The muscles in her legs, arms, and her whole body were tight and tense with the exertion of running and her sopping hair flew wildly out behind her.
   • Ian can barely breathe, his lungs are so heavy and his stomach painfully tight.
   • She was shaking, her body was tight and her eyes were practically bleeding.
   • Today I've got the shivers all over my body and a tight band round my forehead.
   • Early on after my coma the muscles in my body were incredibly tight.
   • There was a tight feeling in her body that she couldn't describe.
   • She felt her face, the skin was tight and painful under her questing fingers.
   • A tight, constricting pain was setting on her heart, and it unnerved her more than anything, because she knew what it was.
   • Every muscle in his body was tight, and Rion had wondered if he'd frozen like that.
   • When the foreskin becomes trapped behind the corona for a prolonged time, it may form a tight, constricting band of tissue.
   • I felt very uneasy, as if my stomach was tight and tense, yet it was sloshing about and very empty.
   • The very thought of this makes my throat tight and my eyes water.
   • The appearance of a tight band around the head or of squeezing pain was significantly associated with muscle tension-type headaches.
3. 2.3 (of appearance or manner) tense, irritated, or angry.
   she gave him a tight smile

   Example sentencesExamples

   • His smile was small and tight, very professional looking.
   • He gives a tough, tight smile as he contemplates his boyhood self, and you can almost hear the schoolchildren of Glasgow breathe a sigh of relief.
   • Adrienne stood with a tight smile plastered on her face.
   • There is something too controlling about Britney with her tanned shiny skin, tight smile and big forehead.
   • I turned to look at her and she gave me a tight, angry smile.
   • I trudged into the kitchen where Okja wore a tight perm and a smile.
   • The staff was cagy, but confirmed my suspicion with slight, knowing expressions and small tight smiles of sympathy.
   • My daughter would walk slowly to our car, a tight smile glued on her face.
   • So she mustered up a tight smile and shook her head.
   • They entered the warm study to find the Prince standing behind his desk, waiting with a tight and hard expression.
   • The nurse's mouth is a tight line, barely moving when she speaks.
   • He consulted his notes for a moment, then gave me a tight little smile.
   • In his tight, angry face we see a lifetime of struggles and disappointments.
   • She gave him a tight smile and reached for his hand.
   • He talks about them with a tight smile which he has obviously been practising for years.
   • He chuckles, and my tight smile gets a little more real.
   • ‘It's what I'm used to,’ I said with a tight smile, and I knew my eyes were stone cold.
   • She had a tight little smile and two dimples appeared.
   • But these are sharp little nods, with tight, bright smiles, that say ‘Fine’.
   • Well, he was slim now, and had acquired, as if through plastic surgery of the will, a tight smile that meant to beguile.
4. 2.4 (of a rule or form of control) strictly imposed.
   security was tight at yesterday's ceremony

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Access to the quarter is controlled by police barricades, and security at the fenced-off US embassy is very tight.
   • Security at Irish airports is tight enough to deal with any attempts to smuggle a handgun on board a plane, Aer Rianta said yesterday.
   • The tight rules were introduced last week in a bid to prevent the foot and mouth hot spot centred around Thirsk spreading across the county and affecting the pig industry of East Yorkshire.
   • There are tight rules on the type of properties that qualify for the relief.
   • Security at the church was tight, with scores of young people mobilized to scrutinize arrivals and check their bags and identities.
   • These solutions may not be appropriate for some countries, especially those with tight rules on frequency usage.
   • However, others have reservations about tight rules being put down about redevelopment in Middleton, and Bradford Council has not granted the status.
   • The tight House of Lords security did not realise the trick that had been played on them.
   • And the president has directed that spending be kept under tight controls as well.
   • But operating and production costs were kept under tight control, increasing by only 32%.
   • But tight controls on handguns mean that England's murder rate is only one-sixth of America's.
   • Barclays said it was lending prudently and had tight controls in place.
   • There's a tight control over what is and is not going out.
   • The US has since pursued a systematic policy aimed at keeping the UN under tight control.
   • Our security at Los Alamos and all our nuclear facilities is very tight now.
   • The peasantry in 1300 were living in a world where land was scarce and opportunities for economic advancement were limited by the tight controls of the landowners.
   • Security around the hotel was extremely tight with no-one but those with security clearance getting within the environs of Jessop Street.
   • Despite the fact that wages and salaries are by far the biggest element of the NHS budget, there have been tight controls on the pay bill.
   • They have a place but there should be tight controls to ensure maximum benefit for students and if there is difficulty deciding, consult the students.
   • Security chiefs have decided to impose tight controls to prevent terrorists from slipping into the country.

   Synonyms

   strict, rigorous, stringent, tough, rigid, firm, uncompromising, exacting, systematic, meticulous, painstaking, scrupulous
5. 2.5 (of a written work or form) concise, condensed, or well structured.
   a tight argument

   Example sentencesExamples

   • I feel this provides the skills to write tight, clear, and concise papers.
   • But those seemingly random gags only work effectively when anchored to strong characters and tight story structures.
   • But that's a minor flaw given the tight execution of this concise, effective album.
   • It was also necessary to learn how to program incredibly efficiently and write extraordinarily tight code.
   • It doesn't have the same really tight structure of part I, but it's more epic and touches on a lot more things.
   • The critics are in awe of the play's fast, violent pacing, its tight structure and the humorous Scottish dialect.
   • The film is tight, superbly structured and has a great, ambiguous ending.
   • The guy could convert me to anything, due to his passionate delivery and tight arguments.
   • It's a good, tight, well written speech will lauds us all for showing up.

   Synonyms

   succinct, economic, pithy, crisp, straightforward, concise, condensed, well structured, laconic, terse, to the point, summary, short and sweet, in a few well-chosen words

   rare compendious, epigrammatic, synoptic, aphoristic, gnomic
6. 2.6 (of an organization or group of people) disciplined or well coordinated.
   the vocalists are strong and the band is tight

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Again, expect some great music from this tight group.
   • But, they were really tight together and didn't sound at all like a new or high school group.
   • There is no doubt: years of packing clubs and shaking up the whole continent have made them a tight group of musicians who know exactly what they want.
   • A tight and disciplined band they are driven by the skills of drummer Rob Townsend.
   • ‘With Zidane coming back, France will play a tight midfield to allow him to be free and do his own thing,’ he noted.
   • Word spread in the Southwest about the Augusta Futurity's tight organization and added prize money.
   • With him, Rumsfeld brought a tight group of political appointees who did not inherit the Pentagon in order to pursue business as usual.
   • A mention must also go to the tight five who scrummaged hard all day and were full of running.
   • We sand-rakers are a tight group and while we could rake a mean sand pit in ten seconds, we could never throw anything.
   • They have been playing together for 26 years and it shows; very tight, very together.
   • We wanted a tight group of resource-providers who were in the region.

3(of an area or space) having or allowing little room for manoeuvre.

1. 3.1 (of a bend, turn, or angle) changing direction sharply; having a short radius.
   the coach failed to negotiate the tight bend

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Remember, short, tight turns are essential to controlling your speed on the steeps.
   • Time and again I drive around a tight bend to be confronted by a high-speed bike haring towards me on my side of the road, having taken the bend way too wide.
   • And when Dargo received the ball from Boyd's pass across the face of goal, the tight angle saw him hit the side-netting rather than the back of the net.
   • ‘I had just started the ascent of Angliru and was taking one of the tight bends when my wheel just skidded out from under me,’ he recalled.
   • It will go at a fairly leisurely speed of 22.4mph but Mike says there are some fairly tight bends.
   • I warmed up a bit as I climbed the slopes of Stake Hill where the path joins a wider track and then, shortly after, makes a very tight bend to the left.
   • Marist doubled their advantage on seven minutes with an excellent score from a tight angle courtesy of the lively corner-forward Brendan Kelly.
   • A useful escape tactic to a prey is to initiate a turn before predator closure and rely on a tight turn radius for escape.
   • Gardener has the build to make the most of tight bends and camber of indoor tracks.
   • Two of these were from tight angles on the right.
   • The angle was tight and his attempt at a difficult chip landed well wide.
   • Everyone is happy, especially Wilkinson, because he kicked well and finished with six out of seven from a tight angle by a corner post.
   • ‘It was a great goal, a tight angle and he struck through the ball really well,’ said Levein.
   • They will also be racing on the wider expanses of a course that offers a much fairer test of ability than the tight turns and short straight at the Valley.
   • McSherry scored an inspirational point from a tight angle when he was forced to shoot from the right corner.
   • But he didn't panic and his third effort, from a very tight angle for a left-footed kicker, flew between the posts.
   • These bends were so tight that only short, relatively ineffective nets could be used.
   • His shot, from a tight angle, was parried by Glavey for a corner.
   • Not even big humps can unsettle the Hydractive suspension which also stops the car rolling severely in tight bends.
   • When it's not being screamed around tight bends at full chat, the car is still a rounded prospect.
2. 3.2 (of money or time) limited or restricted.
   David was out of work and money was tight

   an ability to work to tight deadlines

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Money is tight and the government needs to know where to target its funding.
   • If money is tight and restricting you from having the flowers you dream of then why not consider making your own bouquet.
   • Even on a tight budget, we spent a day falling over on the nursery slopes on Coronet Peak, and another braving the icy rapids of the Shotover River on a raft, both of which were great experiences.
   • Money is tight all the time and we don't have enough reporters.
   • As a result money is tight, but everyone's been changing their investment goals this year.
   • Everything was falling into place but money was tight.
   • Money was tight; he couldn't afford the trips on his salary as a counselor at St. Petersburg College.
   • Time was tight, and a ship and some free labor were needed.
   • Many new systems involve longer lead times for delivery that are unacceptable in tight building construction schedules.
   • The lack of any guarantee of a useful result makes R and D an expense which is often cut when funds are tight.
   • He knew that her expenses were tight; that she barely had enough money to take care of herself.
   • But it will take some time, particularly with tech spending so tight.
   • The captain of the survey ship was on a tight schedule, so he made note of the readings in his log and then the ship came about and returned to the Empire.
   • ‘We know money is tight, but a contribution would let the veterans know they were remembered,’ said Bob.
   • Adam was getting the feeling that money was tight for her.
   • Money was so tight that even my mother was working part-time.
   • Sure, money is tight, but I've already accepted that will always be the case.
   • The main criterion for picking a place to go is money, and money is tight at the moment.
   • It was hard at times, like when money was tight, but all in all, he was great.
   • Local authorities say it's because they've been advised by the federal agencies that foot the bill that money is tight.

   Synonyms

   scarce, scanty, scant, skimpy, meagre, sparse

   reduced, depleted, diminished, low, in short supply, limited

   deficient, inadequate, insufficient

4(of a formation or group) closely or densely packed together.

1. 4.1 (of a community or other group of people) having close relations; tight-knit.
   New York's tight Orthodox Jewish community

   the folk were far too tight to let anyone know

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Where are the applications for people who live in tight communities of a thousand people and strong local government?
   • They are a tight community and they work well together.
   • We are a tight group and share everything with each other, but I am beginning to wonder if I should rethink sharing my encounters with them.
   • The buildings showed that the Hakka people liked to live together in tight communities.
   • They become a pretty tight group, because they socialise together a lot on the Net.
   • She's been lucky to work closely with a tight group of artists, meaning that her work is remarkably consistent and remarkably polished.
   • Everything that I've heard is, especially in this community, the prison parolees are a fairly tight - knit group.
   • In the tight mining community where we grew up, everybody is identified by family connections.
   • This tight community is reflected in the organization and the fans that come out to games.
   • With all of this behind, what's next for this tight group of friends over the next few years?
   • For all that has happened to him, he is still the product of his background, still the son of a tight community.
   • But generally it was just the local boys, a very tight group, very localized.
   • Can you tell now, Allison, how tight, how close are these two?
   • The fans at Victoria Park looked after each other, as they would in any tight community.
   • After World War II, the original incentives to remain a tight community faded away.

5(of a game or contest) with evenly matched competitors; very close.

6British informal Not willing to spend or give much money; mean.

7informal predicative Drunk.

Very firmly, closely, or tensely.