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Tight
7 dictionary results for: Tight
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
tight       [tahyt] Pronunciation Key adjective -er, -est, adverb, -er, -est.
–adjective
1.firmly or closely fixed in place; not easily moved; secure: a tight knot.
2.drawn or stretched so as to be tense; taut.
3.affording little or no extra room; fitting closely, esp. too closely: a tight collar.
4.difficult to deal with or manage: to be in a tight situation.
5.of such close or compacted texture, or fitted together so closely, as to be impervious to water, air, steam, etc.: a good, tight roof.
6.concise; terse: a tight style of writing.
7.firm; rigid: his tight control of the company.
8.carefully arranged or organized and full; affording little leeway; compact: a tight schedule.
9.nearly even; close: a tight race.
10.Informal.
a.close, as friends; familiar or intimate.
b.united: The strikers are tight in their refusal to accept the proposed contract.
11.parsimonious; stingy.
12.Slang. drunk; tipsy.
13.characterized by scarcity or eager demand; costly; limited; restricted: a tight job market; tight money.
14.Journalism. (of a newspaper) having more news available than is required for or utilizable in a particular issue.
15.Baseball. inside (def. 18).
16.Scot. and North England. competent or skillful.
17.tidy.
18.neatly or well built or made.
–adverb
19.in a tight manner; closely; firmly; securely; tensely: Shut the door tight. The shirt fit tight across the shoulders.
20.soundly or deeply: to sleep tight.
21.sit tight, to take no action.

[Origin: 1400–50; late ME, sandhi var. of ME thight dense, solid, tight < ON théttr (c. OE -thiht firm, solid, D, G dicht tight, close, dense)]

tightly, adverb
tightness, noun

11. close, niggardly, mean, grasping, frugal, sparing.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
tight       (tīt)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.   tight·er, tight·est
  1. Fixed or fastened firmly in place: a tight lid; tight screws; a tight knot.
  2. Stretched or drawn out fully: a tight wire; a tight drumhead.
  3. Of such close construction as to be impermeable: cloth tight enough to hold water; warm in our tight little cabin.
    1. Leaving little empty space through compression; compact: a tight suitcase; a tight weave.
    2. Affording little spare time; full: a tight schedule.
    3. Obtainable with difficulty or only at a high price: tight money.
    4. Affected by scarcity: a tight market.
  4. Closely reasoned or concise: a tight argument; a tight style of writing.
  5. Fitting close or too close to the skin; snug: a tight collar; a fit that was much too tight.
  6. Slang Personally close; intimate: "me and the D.A., who happen to be very tight with one another" (Tom Wolfe).
  7. Experiencing a feeling of constriction: a tight feeling in the chest.
  8. Reluctant to spend or give; stingy.
    1. Obtainable with difficulty or only at a high price: tight money.
    2. Affected by scarcity: a tight market.
  9. Difficult to deal with or get out of: a tight spot.
  10. Barely profitable: a tight bargain.
  11. Closely contested; close: a tight match.
  12. Chiefly British Neat and trim in appearance or arrangement.
  13. Marked by full control over elements or subordinates; firm: tight management; a tight orchestral performance.
  14. Slang Intoxicated; drunk.
  15. Baseball Inside.

adv.   tight·er, tight·est
  1. Firmly; securely.
  2. Soundly: sleep tight.
  3. Snugly or with constriction: My shoes are laced too tight.


[Middle English, dense, of Scandinavian origin.]

tight'ly adv., tight'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean not slack or loose on account of being pulled or drawn out fully: a tight skirt; taut sails; tense piano strings.

Usage Note: Tight is used as an adverb following verbs that denote a process of closure or constriction, as squeeze, shut, close, tie, and hold. In this use it is subtly distinct from the adverb tightly. Tight denotes the state resulting from the process, whereas tightly denotes the manner of its application. As such, tight is more appropriate when the focus is on a state that endures for some time after the activity has ended. The sentence She closed up the house tight suggests preparation for an impending blizzard. By the same token, it is more natural to say The windows were frozen tight than The windows were frozen tightly, since in this case the tightness of the seal is not likely to be the result of the manner in which the windows were frozen. With a few verbs tight is used idiomatically as an intensive and is the only possible form: sleep tight; sit tight. Tight can be used only following the verb: The house was shut tight (not tight shut).

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
tight 
c.1435, "dense, close, compact," from M.E. thight, from O.N. þettr "watertight, close in texture, solid," from P.Gmc. *thenkhtuz (cf. second element in O.E. meteþiht "stout from eating;" M.H.G. dihte "dense, thick," Ger. dicht "dense, tight," O.H.G. gidigan, Ger. gediegen "genuine, solid, worthy"), from PIE base *tenk- "to become firm, curdle, thicken" (cf. Ir. techt "curdled, coagulated," Lith. tankus "close, tight," Pers. tang "tight," Skt. tanakti "draws together, contracts"). Sense of "drawn, stretched" is from 1576; meaning "fitting closely" (as of garments) is from 1779; that of "evenly matched" (of a contest, bargain, etc.) is from 1828, Amer.Eng.; that of "drunk" is from 1830; that of "close, sympathetic" is from 1956. Tightrope is recorded from 1801. Tight-assed "unwilling to relax" is attested from 1903. Tight-laced is recorded from 1741 in both the lit. and fig. senses. Tight-lipped is first attested 1876.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
tight

adjective
1. closely constrained or constricted or constricting; "tight skirts"; "he hated tight starched collars"; "fingers closed in a tight fist"; "a tight feeling in his chest" [ant: loose
2. pulled or drawn tight; "taut sails"; "a tight drumhead"; "a tight rope" [syn: taut
3. set so close together as to be invulnerable to penetration; "in tight formation"; "a tight blockade" 
4. pressed tightly together; "with lips compressed" [syn: compressed
5. (used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity; "a mean person"; "he left a miserly tip" [syn: mean
6. affected by scarcity and expensive to borrow; "tight money"; "a tight market" 
7. of such close construction as to be impermeable; "a tight roof"; "warm in our tight little house" [ant: leaky
8. of textiles; "a close weave"; "smooth percale with a very tight weave" [syn: close
9. securely or solidly fixed in place; rigid; "the bolts are tight" 
10. (of a contest or contestants) evenly matched; "a close contest"; "a close election"; "a tight game" [syn: close
11. very drunk [syn: besotted
12. exasperatingly difficult to handle or circumvent; "a nasty problem"; "a good man to have on your side in a tight situation" [syn: nasty
13. demanding strict attention to rules and procedures; "rigorous discipline"; "tight security"; "stringent safety measures" [syn: rigorous
14. packed closely together; "they stood in a tight little group"; "hair in tight curls"; "the pub was packed tight" 

adverb
1. firmly or closely; "held fast to the rope"; "her foot was stuck fast"; "held tight" [syn: fast
2. in an attentive manner; "he remained close on his guard" [syn: close

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

tight

Eas"y\, a. [Compar. Easier; superl. Easiest.] [OF. aisi['e], F. ais['e], prop. p. p. of OF. aisier. See Ease, v. t.]

1. At ease; free from pain, trouble, or constraint; as: (a) Free from pain, distress, toil, exertion, and the like; quiet; as, the patient is easy. (b) Free from care, responsibility, discontent, and the like; not anxious; tranquil; as, an easy mind. (c) Free from constraint, harshness, or formality; unconstrained; smooth; as, easy manners; an easy style. "The easy vigor of a line." --Pope.

2. Not causing, or attended with, pain or disquiet, or much exertion; affording ease or rest; as, an easy carriage; a ship having an easy motion; easy movements, as in dancing. "Easy ways to die." --Shak.

3. Not difficult; requiring little labor or effort; slight; inconsiderable; as, an easy task; an easy victory.

It were an easy leap. --Shak.

4. Causing ease; giving freedom from care or labor; furnishing comfort; commodious; as, easy circumstances; an easy chair or cushion.

5. Not making resistance or showing unwillingness; tractable; yielding; complying; ready.

He gained their easy hearts. --Dryden.

He is too tyrannical to be an easy monarch. --Sir W. Scott.

6. Moderate; sparing; frugal. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

7. (Com.) Not straitened as to money matters; as, the market is easy; -- opposed to tight.

Honors are easy (Card Playing), said when each side has an equal number of honors, in which case they are not counted as points.

Syn: Quiet; comfortable; manageable; tranquil; calm; facile; unconcerned.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Tight

Heave\, v. t. [imp. Heaved, or Hove; p. p. Heaved, Hove, formerly Hoven; p. pr. & vb. n. Heaving.] [OE. heven, hebben, As. hebban; akin to OS. hebbian, D. heffen, OHG. heffan, hevan, G. heven, Icel. h["a]fva, Dan. h[ae]ve, Goth. hafjan, L. capere to take, seize; cf. Gr. ? handle. Cf. Accept, Behoof, Capacious, Forceps, haft, Receipt.]

1. To cause to move upward or onward by a lifting effort; to lift; to raise; to hoist; -- often with up; as, the wave heaved the boat on land.

One heaved ahigh, to be hurled down below. --Shak.

Note: Heave, as now used, implies that the thing raised is heavy or hard to move; but formerly it was used in a less restricted sense.

Here a little child I stand, Heaving up my either hand. --Herrick.

2. To throw; to cast; -- obsolete, provincial, or colloquial, except in certain nautical phrases; as, to heave the lead; to heave the log.

3. To force from, or into, any position; to cause to move; also, to throw off; -- mostly used in certain nautical phrases; as, to heave the ship ahead.

4. To raise or force from the breast; to utter with effort; as, to heave a sigh.

The wretched animal heaved forth such groans. --Shak.

5. To cause to swell or rise, as the breast or bosom.

The glittering, finny swarms That heave our friths, and crowd upon our shores. --Thomson.

To heave a cable short (Naut.), to haul in cable till the ship is almost perpendicularly above the anchor.

To heave a ship ahead (Naut.), to warp her ahead when not under sail, as by means of cables.

To heave a ship down (Naut.), to throw or lay her down on one side; to careen her.

To heave a ship to (Naut.), to bring the ship's head to the wind, and stop her motion.

To heave about (Naut.), to put about suddenly.

To heave in (Naut.), to shorten (cable).

To heave in stays (Naut.), to put a vessel on the other tack.

To heave out a sail (Naut.), to unfurl it.

To heave taut (Naut.), to turn a capstan, etc., till the rope becomes strained. See Taut, and Tight.

To heave the lead (Naut.), to take soundings with lead and line.

To heave the log. (Naut.) See Log.

To heave up anchor (Naut.), to raise it from the bottom of the sea or elsewhere.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Tight

Taut\, a. [Dan. t[ae]t; akin to E. tight. See Tight.]

1. (Naut.) Tight; stretched; not slack; -- said esp. of a rope that is tightly strained.

2. Snug; close; firm; secure.

Taut hand (Naut.), a sailor's term for an officer who is severe in discipline.

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