Word family
(noun)
tightness
(adjective)
tight
(verb)
tighten
(adverb)
tighttightly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Illness & disability, Sporttighttight1 /taɪt/●くろまる●くろまる●くろまるS2W3 adjective (comparative tighter, superlative tightest)1clothesTIGHTtight clothes fit your body very closely, especially in a way that is uncomfortableOPP loosetight jeansMy shoes were so tight that I could hardly walk.The jacket is rather a tight fit (=it fits too tightly).2pulled/stretched firmlyTIGHTstring, wire, cloth etc that is tight has been pulled or stretched firmly so that it is straight or cannot moveThe bandage must be tight enough to stop the bleeding.She tied the rope around the post and pulled it tight.3attached firmlyTIGHT a screw, lid etc that is tight is firmly attached and difficult to moveCheck that the screws are tight.4 →a tight hold/grip5strictCONTROLcontrolling something very strictly or firmlyThe government is keeping tight control on immigration.keep a tight grip/hold/rein on something (=control it very firmly)The former dictator still keeps a tight grip on power.Anna was determined to keep a tight hold on her feelings.Security is always tight for the opening day of parliament.run/keep a tight ship (=manage a company, organization etc strictly and effectively)6little moneyPOOR if money is tight, you do not have enough of itmoney is tight/things are tightMoney was tight and he needed a job badly.As you know, I run the magazine on a pretty tight budget.7little timeTIME THAT IS PLANNED if time is tight, it is difficult for you to do everything you need to do in the time availableTime is tight, and she has another meeting to go to this afternoon.We should arrive on time, but it’ll be tight.As usual, his schedule on Saturday was tight (=he had arranged to do several things in a short time).I'm working to a very tight deadline (=I have to finish a piece of work very quickly).8little spaceSPACE/ROOM if space is tight, there is only just enough space to fit something into a placebe a tight squeeze/fitSix in the car will be a tight squeeze.9not generous informal not generous, or trying hard to avoid spending moneyDon’t be so tight!10close togetherNEAR placed or standing closely togetherThe animal’s body was curled up in a tight little ball.She wore her hair in a tight bun.11close relationshipRELATIONSHIP a tight group of people, countries etc have a close relationship with each otherSYN tight-knitTogether, the young film-makers formed a tight group.the tight bonds that had grown between them12bend/turnCFBEND a tight bend or turn is very curved and turns quickly in another directionDanny lost control on a tight bend, and the car ran off the road.13chest/stomach/throatMI if your chest, stomach, or throat feels tight, it feels painful and uncomfortable, because you are ill or worriedBefore she went on stage her chest felt tight and her throat hurt.14expression/smile/voiceANNOYUPSET a tight expression, smile, or voice shows that you are annoyed or worriedSYN tight-lipped‘Look, I’m sorry ..., ’ she said, forcing a tight smile.15 →in a tight corner/spot16play/performanceAP playing a piece of music or giving a performance very exactly and well, without any pauses or mistakesThe band gave a really tight performance.a tight, well-rehearsed production17game/competitionDSCOMPETITION a tight game, competition etc is one in which the teams, players etc play equally well, and it is not easy to winThe opening quarter of the game was very tight.18drunk [not before noun] old-fashioned informalMIDRUNK drunk —tightness noun [uncountable] →airtight, watertightExamples from the Corpustight• Security at the conference was extremely tight.• I don't wear my black dress very much. It's very tight around the waist.• She curled up in a tight ball as though to stop herself from breaking apart.• Money has been really tight because we had major car problems.• I never wear tight clothes - I just don't feel comfortable in them.• Though unwelcome, this decline was predicted and planned for - and spending was therefore rightly under tightconstraint in 1992.• The report recommendstighter controls on the advertising of cigarettes.• How else, they assume, but tightcoordination and control to deal with so many moving parts?• a tightdeadline• Make sure the lid is tight enough so that it won't leak.• If the straps aren't tight enough, the saddle can slip.• Laws controlling the emission of greenhouse gases are not nearly tight enough.• Her mother gave a tight, forced smile.• "Seat belttight? Good, this could be a roughride."• The humans had grown their wintercoats, and the high buildingstrembled in the tightgrip of their stressequations.• The planes approached in a tight grouping.• Cover with a tight lid and refrigerate.• The treaty would place tight limits on weapons testing.• I've never been very good at reversing into tight parking spaces.• Mr Stoiber has been in the forefront of those calling for tighterrestrictions on asylum-seekers and ordinaryimmigrants.• My schedule is very tight right now, but I'll try to fit you in.• a tightskirt• I just smiled a tight smile.• If your shirt collar's too tight, undo your top button.• Ken hasn't always been so tight with money.• My chest was tight with tension.a tight fit• It was going to be a tight fit.• After turning the Disc you have a tighter fit, but not necessarily a better one.• Life must go on, and eight records makes for a tight fit in a 40-minute programme.pulled ... tight• Richard moved his tongue on the roundness and the ragged break and the folds of foreskinwrinkled and pulled tight.• He pulled her tight against him, squashing her against his chest.• The running knot had pulled tight and was buried in the fur behind his ear.• She shrugged and pulled her coat tighter around her.• She was dressed in traditional black with a headscarfpulled tight beneath her chin.• Keeping your body upright and tummypulled in tight, draw the raised leg across the body, leading with the ankle.• Nakki caught me frowning at those stitches and pulled her lips tight to stop herself from smiling.Security ... tight• Because of the row over serialisation rights, security has been tight.• It was clear when we arrived at Heathrow airport that security was very tight.• Police, security guards and electronics had made security very tight.• Round here, security was tight.• Security was tight as he flew in to Ulster.tight budget• And, Tom was working on a tight budget.• Some may experience considerable pressure to meet technical or scientificgoals within a short time or within a tight budget.• The panel wanted to make the new drugs accessible to poor Texans but was faced with a tight budget.• The government would end price controls and subsidies to industry, and imposetight budgets and curbs on welfare spending.• We had a really tight budget and we feared the cost of turning it into a home was way beyond our means.• But, befitting an era of tight budgets, only a little.• The competition set a fairly tight budget so Julia decided to mix second-hand clothes with new ones.• Working on a tight budget, we opted for more on-boardmemory at the expense of a large capacity harddisk.tight deadline• The department is working under a very tight deadline.• A strong background in quantitativeanalysis, careful attention to detail and an ability to work to tight deadlines are essential skills.• But working to scale from a cartoon drawing and meeting a tight deadlineposed problems for the sculpture's designer.• Recruitment always operates to tight deadlines, such as catching the last post.• He interpreted Henry's wishes to the craftsmen and saw that tight deadlines were met.be a tight squeeze/fit• It was going to be a tight fit.• There were only ninety of them, but it was a tight squeeze.• It was a tight squeeze and she tore her jacket.• If you do it would be a tight squeeze for you all in Tom's house.tighttight2●くろまる●くろまる●くろまるS2 adverbTIGHTvery firmly or closelySYN tightlyHold tight to the handrail!I kept my eyes tight shut. →sit tight, → sleep tightExamples from the Corpustight• Sylvia handed me a large parcel, tightly wrapped in brown paper.• Through the summer runup in technology stock prices, executives at the on-line service provider sat tight.• Betty's hand was tight across her mouth now and she turned swiftly away and went back into the scullery.• Pack it tight, add basketballfootage as dramatic as it is trite, and throw it into the Hollywood Plot Machine.• Her eyes were shuttight as she screamed.• She lay with her eyes tight shut and her mind held to a determined blank.• She made his costume, cutting down a white linen shirt and fitting it tight up round the neck.tight shut• Lilyfrozeunderneath him, her eyes tight shut.• Sophie's eyes were tight shut.• Her eyes closed tight shut, and her forehead came to rest on the hands that gripped the bedpost.• She lay with her eyes tight shut and her mind held to a determined blank.• She squeezed her eyes tight shut, then opened them again, knowing what she'd see.• If I pressed my eyes tight shut they came, gold and black and red and silver.Origintight1(1400-1500)thight"closely packed, solid, thick"((14-19 centuries)), probably from a Scandinavian language