Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

tight

/taɪt/ adjective

In Latin: strictus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tight at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
a tight sponge; a tight knot
Unyielding or firm.
tight control on a situation
Under high tension; taut.
Make sure to pull the rope tight.

adverb

Firmly, so as not to come loose easily.
Hold on tight to the rope.
Soundly.
Good night, sleep tight.

verb

To make tight; tighten.
To make water-tight.

Origin

From Middle English tight, tyght, tyȝt, tiht, variants of thight, thiht, from Old English *þiht, *þīht (attested in meteþiht), from Proto-West Germanic *þį̄ht(ī), from Proto-Germanic *þinhtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tenkt- (“dense, thick, tight”), from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch, pull”). Cognate with Scots ticht, West Frisian ticht, Danish tæt, Icelandic þéttur (“dense”), Norwegian tett, Swedish tät, Dutch dicht (“dense”), German dicht (“dense”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word