tight

Word family  noun tightness adjective tight verb tighten adverb tight tightly

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Illness & disability, Sport

tight1 /taɪt/ ●●● S2 W3 adjective (comparative tighter, superlative tightest)  1  clothes 衣服TIGHT tight clothes fit your body very closely, especially in a way that is uncomfortable 紧身的，贴身的 OPP loose tight jeans 紧身牛仔裤 My shoes were so tight that I could hardly walk. 鞋子很紧，我几乎不能走路。 The jacket is rather a tight fit (=it fits too tightly). 这件夹克衫太紧了。 →4  See picture of 见图 LOOSE 1 →5 see picture at 见图 loose12  pulled/stretched firmly 拉紧/绷紧TIGHT string, wire, cloth etc that is tight has been pulled or stretched firmly so that it is straight or cannot move 拉紧的，绷紧的 The bandage must be tight enough to stop the bleeding. 绷带必须缠紧才能止血。 She tied the rope around the post and pulled it tight. 她把绳子绑在柱子上，然后拉紧。3  attached firmly 固定得很牢TIGHT a screw, lid etc that is tight is firmly attached and difficult to move 紧的，牢的 Check that the screws are tight. 查看一下螺丝钉是否拧紧了。4  HOLDING STH FIRMLY 紧紧抓住某物a tight hold/grip if you keep or have a tight hold on something, you hold it firmly 紧紧抓住 His mother kept a tight hold on his hand. 他母亲紧紧抓住他的手。5  strict 严格的CONTROL controlling something very strictly or firmly 〔控制〕严格的，严密的 The government is keeping tight control on immigration. 政府对移民控制得非常严格。keep a tight grip/hold/rein on something (=control it very firmly) 对某事严加控制 The former dictator still keeps a tight grip on power. 前任独裁者仍然牢牢控制着政权。 Anna was determined to keep a tight hold on her feelings. 安娜决意牢牢地控制住自己的情感。 Security is always tight for the opening day of parliament. 议会开幕这天安保措施总是非常严密。run/keep a tight ship (=manage a company, organization etc strictly and effectively) 严格管理〔公司、机构等〕6  little money 太少的钱POOR if money is tight, you do not have enough of it 〔钱〕紧的，拮据的，不宽裕的money is tight/things are tight Money was tight and he needed a job badly. 手头很紧，他急需一份工作。 As you know, I run the magazine on a pretty tight budget. 你也知道，我做这份杂志预算很紧。7  little time 很少的时间TIME THAT IS PLANNED if time is tight, it is difficult for you to do everything you need to do in the time available 〔时间〕紧的 Time is tight, and she has another meeting to go to this afternoon. 时间很紧，她今天下午还有一个会议要参加。 We should arrive on time, but it’ll be tight. 我们应该能按时到达，但时间很紧。 As usual, his schedule on Saturday was tight (=he had arranged to do several things in a short time). 和往常一样，他周六的日程排得很紧。 I'm working to a very tight deadline (=I have to finish a piece of work very quickly). 我正在赶一项期限很紧的工作。8  little space 少量空间SPACE/ROOM if space is tight, there is only just enough space to fit something into a place 填满的，塞满的，挤满的be a tight squeeze/fit Six in the car will be a tight squeeze. 六个人坐一辆车会很挤。9  not generous 不慷慨 informal not generous, or trying hard to avoid spending money 吝啬的，小气的，抠门的 Don’t be so tight! 不要这么小气！10  close together 紧密地在一起NEAR placed or standing closely together 紧密的，紧紧的 The animal’s body was curled up in a tight little ball. 这个动物的身体紧紧地缩成一小团。 She wore her hair in a tight bun. 她把头发紧紧地盘成一个髻。11  close relationship 亲密关系RELATIONSHIP a tight group of people, countries etc have a close relationship with each other 〔人与人、国家与国家等之间〕关系密切的 SYN tight-knit Together, the young film-makers formed a tight group. 这些年轻的电影制作人一起组成了一个关系密切的团体。 the tight bonds that had grown between them 他们之间慢慢形成的紧密关系12  bend/turn 弯道/转弯CFBEND a tight bend or turn is very curved and turns quickly in another direction 转得很急的 Danny lost control on a tight bend, and the car ran off the road. 丹尼急转弯时失去了控制，车冲出了路面。13  chest/stomach/throat 胸/胃/喉MI if your chest, stomach, or throat feels tight, it feels painful and uncomfortable, because you are ill or worried 憋闷的；不适的 Before she went on stage her chest felt tight and her throat hurt. 她上台前胸口发闷，喉咙疼痛。14  expression/smile/voice 表情/笑容/嗓音ANNOYUPSET a tight expression, smile, or voice shows that you are annoyed or worried 显得生气的，担忧的 SYN tight-lipped ‘Look, I’m sorry ..., ’ she said, forcing a tight smile. “噢，我很抱歉……”她说道，勉强挤出一丝生硬的笑容。15  DIFFICULT SITUATION 困难的处境in a tight corner/spot informalPROBLEM in a difficult situation 处境困难 He’s a good man to have around if ever you’re in a tight corner. 如果你遇到困难，有他在身边会很有帮助。 ‘Did something go wrong?’ ‘Let’s just say I got into a bit of a tight spot.’ 有什么不对劲的吗？”“我只能说，我遇到了一点小麻烦。”16  play/performance 表演/演出AP playing a piece of music or giving a performance very exactly and well, without any pauses or mistakes 准确的，紧凑的，一气呵成的 The band gave a really tight performance. 乐队的表演一气呵成。 a tight, well-rehearsed production 一气呵成、排练充分的演出17  game/competition 比赛/竞赛DSCOMPETITION a tight game, competition etc is one in which the teams, players etc play equally well, and it is not easy to win 紧张激烈的；不相上下的，势均力敌的 The opening quarter of the game was very tight. 开场的一节比赛十分紧张激烈。18. drunk 喝醉的 [not before noun] old-fashioned informalMIDRUNK drunk 醉的5 —tightlyadv Marie held the baby tightly in her arms.玛丽把婴儿紧紧地抱在怀中。 —tightness noun [uncountable] → airtight, watertight

Examples from the Corpus

tight• 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 tight constraint in 1992.• The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of cigarettes.• How else, they assume, but tight coordination and control to deal with so many moving parts?• a tight deadline• 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 belt tight? Good, this could be a rough ride."• The humans had grown their winter coats, and the high buildings trembled in the tight grip of their stress equations.• 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 tighter restrictions on asylum-seekers and ordinary immigrants.• My schedule is very tight right now, but I'll try to fit you in.• a tight skirt• 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.• We arrive in Paris, and make a tight fit into a tiny chambre de bonne in the Fifteenth Arrondissement.pulled ... tight• Richard moved his tongue on the roundness and the ragged break and the folds of foreskin wrinkled 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 headscarf pulled tight beneath her chin.• Keeping your body upright and tummy pulled in tight, draw the raised leg across the body, leading with the ankle.• She pulled the string tight, strangling him.• 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 scientific goals 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 impose tight 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-board memory at the expense of a large capacity harddisk.tight deadline• The department is working under a very tight deadline.• A strong background in quantitative analysis, careful attention to detail and an ability to work to tight deadlines are essential skills.• Thus he is confident of meeting the very tight deadlines for the Virgin order.• But working to scale from a cartoon drawing and meeting a tight deadline posed 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.tight2 ●●● S2 adverb  TIGHTvery firmly or closely 紧紧地，牢牢地 SYN tightly Hold tight to the handrail! 抓紧扶手！ I kept my eyes tight shut. 我双眼紧闭。 → sit tight at sit(8), → sleep tight at sleep1(4)

Examples from the Corpus

tight• 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 basketball footage as dramatic as it is trite, and throw it into the Hollywood Plot Machine.• Her eyes were shut tight 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• He was sitting on the floor among the cracker wrappings and the crumbs, his shoulders shaking, his eyes tight shut.• Lily froze underneath 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.• She screwed her eyes tight shut, trying to forget the images of last night.Origin tight1 (1400-1500) thight “closely packed, solid, thick” ((14-19 centuries)), probably from a Scandinavian language

tight1 adjective →10-18
tight2 adverbChinese  

body Corpus fit tight very clothes your

tight

I

tight¹ S2 W3 /taɪt/ adjective (comparative tighter, superlative tightest)1.  CLOTHES tight clothes fit your body very closely, especially in a way that is uncomfortable
   OPP  loose:
    tight jeans
    My shoes were so tight that I could hardly walk.
    The jacket is rather a tight fit (=it fits too tightly).
2.  PULLED/STRETCHED FIRMLY string, wire, cloth etc that is tight has been pulled or stretched firmly so that it is straight or cannot move:
    The bandage must be tight enough to stop the bleeding.
    She tied the rope around the post and pulled it tight.
3.  ATTACHED FIRMLY a screw, lid etc that is tight is firmly attached and difficult to move:
    Check that the screws are tight.
4.  HOLDING SOMETHING FIRMLY a tight hold/grip if you keep or have a tight hold on something, you hold it firmly:
    His mother kept a tight hold on his hand.
5.  STRICT controlling something very strictly or firmly:
    The 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)
6.  LITTLE MONEY if money is tight, you do not have enough of it
    money is tight/things are tight
    Money was tight and he needed a job badly.
    As you know, I run the magazine on a pretty tight budget.
7.  LITTLE TIME if time is tight, it is difficult for you to do everything you need to do in the time available:
    Time 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).
8.  LITTLE SPACE if space is tight, there is only just enough space to fit something into a place
    be a tight squeeze/fit
    Six in the car will be a tight squeeze.
9.  NOT GENEROUS informal not generous, or trying hard to avoid spending money:
    Don’t be so tight!
10.  CLOSE TOGETHER placed or standing closely together:
    The animal’s body was curled up in a tight little ball.
    She wore her hair in a tight bun.
11.  CLOSE RELATIONSHIP a tight group of people, countries etc have a close relationship with each other
   SYN  tight-knit:
    Together, the young film-makers formed a tight group.
    the tight bonds that had grown between them
12.  BEND/TURN a tight bend or turn is very curved and turns quickly in another direction:
    Danny lost control on a tight bend, and the car ran off the road.
13.  CHEST/STOMACH/THROAT if your chest, stomach, or throat feels tight, it feels painful and uncomfortable, because you are ill or worried:
    Before she went on stage her chest felt tight and her throat hurt.
14.  EXPRESSION/SMILE/VOICE a tight expression, smile, or voice shows that you are annoyed or worried
   SYN  tight-lipped:
    ‘Look, I’m sorry ...,’ she said, forcing a tight smile.
15.  DIFFICULT SITUATION in a tight corner/spot informal in a difficult situation:
    He’s a good man to have around if ever you’re in a tight corner.
    ‘Did something go wrong?’ ‘Let’s just say I got into a bit of a tight spot.’
16.  PLAY/PERFORMANCE playing a piece of music or giving a performance very exactly and well, without any pauses or mistakes:
    The band gave a really tight performance.
    a tight, well-rehearsed production
17.  GAME/COMPETITION a tight game, competition etc is one in which the teams, players etc play equally well, and it is not easy to win:
    The opening quarter of the game was very tight.
18.  DRUNK  [not before noun] old-fashioned informal drunk
—tightly adverb:
    Marie held the baby tightly in her arms.
—tightness noun [uncountable]
⇨ airtight, watertight
     

THESAURUS

■ rule/law/system
   ▪ strict a strict order or rule is one that must be obeyed: There are strict rules about keeping tax records. | He had strict instructions to return the key to me.
   ▪ tight tight controls or limits are very strict about what is allowed and what is not allowed: The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of alcohol. | There are tight regulations governing waste disposal.
   ▪ tough tough laws or rules are very strict: They want tougher laws against drinking and driving. | The federal government is introducing tough new rules on immigration.
   ▪ harsh harsh punishments or laws are very severe, often too severe: There are harsh penalties for drug trafficking. | The government has brought in harsh measures to combat the rioting taking place in many cities.
   ▪ stringent controlling what people can do with rules that have very high standards: There are now stringent controls on pollution from all power stations. | stringent new food safety regulations

II

tight² adverbvery firmly or closely
   SYN  tightly:
    Hold tight to the handrail!
    I kept my eyes tight shut.
⇨ sit tight at sit(8), ⇨ sleep tight at sleep¹(4)