adjective
tighter (comparative)tightest (superlative)1 [+clothes, jeans] (close-fitting) ajustado; ceñido; (uncomfortably tight) apretado; estrecho It is best if you loosen any tight clothing like belts, collars, shoes etc Her jeans looked too tight around the hips and tummy He was wearing a cream safari suit cut too tight for his bulk Jennifer shows off her curves in a tight bodysuit Wear the jacket with leggings or a short, tight skirt
my shoes are too tight me aprietan los zapatos; the hat was a tight fit el sombrero quedaba muy apretado muy justo;or
the crash helmet was a tight fit on his head With so much of his face missing, he needed a prosthetic. Its necessarily tight fit against the palate caused him excruciating pain
2 (stretched out) [+rope, skin] tirante She tried to free her hands but the rope stayed tight The lines to the buoy were tight but not straining My skin feels tight and lacking in moisture The skin on the forehead is tight on the bone and cannot stretch easily It is a good idea to rinse your face with cold water to keep the skin tight and clean
my skin feels tight tengo la piel tirante; me tira la piel; to pull sth tight tensar algo
He wrapped the cord round my throat and pulled it tight She laced the twine through the eyelets and pulled it tight He used his teeth to pull the knot tight Pull the elastic tight and knot the ends
as tight as a drum [+surface, material] tenso como la piel de un tambor she has a body as tight as a drum tiene el cuerpo firme como una piedra
The mesh should be as tight as a drum across the screen frame Kitty, the aerobics instructor, has a body as tight as a drum and tells us anyone can look like this
to keep a tight rein on sth/sb mantener un control estricto sobre algo/algn The recession has forced people to keep a very tight rein on their finances We will have to keep a tight rein on expenditure in the next few months He delegated authority in a way, but he kept a tight rein on everybody Lynn kept a tight rein on herself while she related the tragic events
3 (not loose) [+screw, knot, curl] apretado The rope was cutting into her flesh and the knots were tight The more she pulled, the tighter the bonds became
[+seal] hermético Screw the lid on firmly to ensure a tight seal
[+embrace, grip] fuerte he clasped me to his chest in a tight embrace He held Sandy with a grip tight enough to make the little man squeal with pain
his fingers were tight on Thomas's arm le apretaba el brazo a Thomas fuertemente con los dedos; the insect curled up in a tight ball el insecto se enroscó formando una pequeña bola
to have a tight grip on sthgrip (on power, economy) ejercer un firme control sobre algo White people still have a tight grip on political and economic power
to keep a tight grip on sth (on finances, discipline) mantener un firme control de algo
to have a tight hold of sthhold tener algo bien agarrado He had a tight hold of her hand now
to keep a tight hold of sth agarrar algo con fuerza
As he and Henrietta passed through the gate he kept a tight hold of her arm He had a feeling that if he did not keep tight hold of the child he might vanish away in the crowd we'll be keeping a tight grip on finances
it was a tight squeeze in the liftsqueeze íbamos muy apretados apiñados en el ascensor;or
to keep a tight lid on sth controlar bien algo; mantener algo bajo control If you're wise you'll keep a tight lid on your emotions
4 (tense) [+voice, throat, smile] tenso his voice was tight and controlled Jack cleared his throat and spoke in a queer, tight voice She gave a tight smile He forced his lips into a tight smile When Roberts was mad his lips became small and tight Mr Smith's lips pursed into a thin, tight line "There were no survivors, of course," said Fred, his throat tight Sarah, who had overheard it all from the back of the room, came forward with a tight and angry face
[+muscle] tenso; tirante ...methods used in osteopathy to release and relax tense, tight muscles and joints If your muscles are too slack or, in some cases too tight, they will adversely affect the posture of your spine
my chest feels tight siento una opresión en el pecho
Her chest felt tight and she felt that breathing was difficult There was a tight feeling in Arnold's chest
5 (strict) [+schedule] apretado we have a tight schedule It'll be a bit tight but we should make it in time
[+budget] ajustado; limitado; [+control] estricto we have a very tight budget no matter how tight your budget, there is room in it for economy Emma is on a tight budget for clothes there will be tight control of media coverage
security will be tight habrá fuertes medidas de seguridad
6 (close-knit) [+group, community] muy unido a tight federation of states He is one of a small, tight knot of people who have been with Madonna since the beginning
7 (sharp) [+bend] cerrado They collided on a tight bend and both cars were extensively damaged I was most concerned with staying upright as the train swayed round the tight bends
to make a tight turn girar bruscamente; dar un giro brusco
The liner made a tight turn The jet made an alarming tight turn and came in low over the water to land
8 (informal) (scarce) [+space, resources] limitado; escaso Where space is very tight, choose a sliding door The new regulations will mean more work at a time when resources are tight
things were tight during the war el dinero era escaso durante la guerra
Money for new equipment is likely to be tight It was the war years, so things were tight
when we first got married money was tight al principio de casarnos estábamos bastante escasos de dinero
when things got tight she worked as a waitress If things get tight, you can always rent out the basement
9 (informal) (difficult) [+situation] apurado; difícil he could conceal his nervousness in tight situations
to be in a tight corner spotor (informal) estar en una situación apurada comprometida;or That puts the president in a tight spot if the vote is not a resounding "yes" They teach you to use your head to get out of a tight corner ...if things don't go quite to plan and you find yourself in a tight corner
10 (close) [+competition, match] reñido the standard was high and competition tight, with just 8 points separating 1st and 10th place, with just 8 points separating 1st and 10th place It was a very tight match The most recent polls predict a tight three-way race
11 (informal) (drunk) mamado; (informal) tomado; (LAm) (informal) Bill's a bit tight
to get tight agarrarse una moña; (informal) cogérsela; (informal)
Her mother got rather tight at the Christmas party
12 (informal) (tight-fisted) agarrado; (informal) he's so tight that he never buys a round of drinks if he can avoid it He's really tight with his money
