1 (firmly) [+hold] bien; con fuerza he took her hand and held it tightly I pulled Lena into my arms and held her tightly
[+close, tie, wrap] bien; [+bind] firmemente the prisoners were tightly bound los prisioneros estaban firmemente atados; the bandages need to be tightly bound hay que apretar bien los vendajes
one arm was tightly bound with a bandage ...two dry-looking sandwiches wrapped tightly in cellophane he held on tightly to the rope
they hold on tightly to their religious traditions se aferran firmemente a sus tradiciones religiosas
we kept the windows tightly closed
2 (closely) the shelves were packed tightly with books las estanterías estaban abarrotadas de libros; tightly fitting clothes ropa ceñida ajustada;or
Vivian wore a tightly fitting catsuit
3 (strictly) [+controlled, enforced] estrictamente the regulations are tightly enforced ...a country where gun ownership is tightly controlled Businesses are being forced into relying more and more on the banks at a time when lending is tightly controlled The newspapers are tightly controlled by the government
