sit

[ sit ]

/ sɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sit ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.

to rest with the body supported by the buttocks or thighs; be seated.

to be located or situated: The house sits well up on the slope.

to rest or lie (usually followed by on or upon): An aura of greatness sits easily upon him.

to place oneself in position for an artist, photographer, etc.; pose: to sit for a portrait.

to remain quiet or inactive: They let the matter sit.

(of a bird) to perch or roost.

(of a hen) to cover eggs to hatch them; brood.

to fit, rest, or hang, as a garment: The jacket sits well on your shoulders.

to occupy a place or have a seat in an official assembly or in an official capacity, as a legislator, judge, or bishop.

to be convened or in session, as an assembly.

to act as a baby-sitter.

(of wind) to blow from the indicated direction: The wind sits in the west tonight.

to be accepted or considered in the way indicated: Something about his looks just didn't sit right with me.

Informal. to be acceptable to the stomach: Something I ate for breakfast didn't sit too well.

Chiefly British. to take a test or examination: I’m studying now, and I plan to sit in June.

verb (used with object), sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.

to cause to sit; seat (often followed by down): Sit yourself down. He sat me near him.

to sit astride or keep one's seat on (a horse or other animal): She sits her horse gracefully.

to provide seating accommodations or seating room for; seat: Our dining-room table only sits six people.

Informal. to serve as baby-sitter for: A neighbor can sit the children while you go out.

Chiefly British. to take (a test or examination): She finally received permission to sit the exam at a later date.

Verb Phrases

sit down,

to take a seat.
to descend to a sitting position; alight.
to take up a position, as to encamp or besiege: The military forces sat down at the approaches to the city.

sit in,

to attend or take part as a visitor or temporary participant: to sit in at a bridge game; to sit in for the band's regular pianist.
to take part in a sit-in.

sit in on, to be a spectator, observer, or visitor at: to sit in on classes.

sit on/upon,

to inquire into or deliberate over: A coroner's jury was called to sit on the case.
Informal. to suppress; silence: They sat on the bad news as long as they could.
Informal. to check or rebuke; squelch: I'll sit on him if he tries to interrupt me.

sit out,

to stay to the end of: Though bored, we sat out the play.
to surpass in endurance: He sat out his tormentors.
to keep one's seat during (a dance, competition, etc.); fail to participate in: We sat out all the Latin-American numbers.

sit up,

to rise from a supine to a sitting position.
to delay the hour of retiring beyond the usual time.
to sit upright; hold oneself erect.
Informal. to become interested or astonished: We all sat up when the holiday was announced.

Idioms for sit

sit on one's hands,

to fail to applaud.
to fail to take appropriate action.

sit pretty, Informal. to be in a comfortable situation: He's been sitting pretty ever since he got that new job.

sit tight, to bide one's time; take no action: I'm going to sit tight till I hear from you.

Origin of sit

before 900; Middle English sitten, Old English sittan; cognate with Dutch zitten, German sitzen, Old Norse sitja; akin to Gothic sitan, Latin sedēre, Greek hézesthai (base hed-); cf. set, sedate, cathedral, nest

SYNONYMS FOR sit

10 meet, assemble, convene, gather.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sit ON THESAURUS.COM

usage note for sit

See set.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sit

set sit (see usage note at set)

Words nearby sit

sistine madonna, sistroid, sistrum, sisyphean, sisyphus, sit, sit at one's feet, sit back, sit bolt upright, sit by, sit down

Definition for sit tight (2 of 2)

tight

[ tahyt ]

/ taɪt /

adjective, tight·er, tight·est.

firmly or closely fixed in place; not easily moved; secure: a tight knot.

drawn or stretched so as to be tense; taut.

affording little or no extra room; fitting closely, especially too closely: a tight collar.

difficult to deal with or manage: to be in a tight situation.

of such close or compacted texture, or fitted together so closely, as to be impervious to water, air, steam, etc.: a good, tight roof.

concise; terse: a tight style of writing.

firm; rigid: his tight control of the company.

carefully arranged or organized and full; affording little leeway; compact: a tight schedule.

nearly even; close: a tight race.

Informal.

close, as friends; familiar or intimate.
united: The strikers are tight in their refusal to accept the proposed contract.

parsimonious; stingy.

Slang. amazing; cool: Your new place is tight!

Older Slang. drunk; tipsy.

characterized by scarcity or eager demand; costly; limited; restricted: a tight job market; tight money.

Journalism. (of a newspaper) having more news available than is required for or utilizable in a particular issue.

Baseball. inside(def 18).

Scot. and North England. competent or skillful.

tidy.

neatly or well built or made.

adverb, tight·er, tight·est.

in a tight manner; closely; firmly; securely; tensely: Shut the door tight. The shirt fit tight across the shoulders.

soundly or deeply: to sleep tight.

Origin of tight

1400–50; late Middle English, sandhi variant of Middle English thight dense, solid, tight < Old Norse thēttr (cognate with Old English -thiht firm, solid, Dutch, German dicht tight, close, dense)

SYNONYMS FOR tight

11 close, mean, grasping, frugal, sparing.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR tight ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM tight

tight·ly, adverb tight·ness, noun o·ver·tight, adjective o·ver·tight·ly, adverb

o·ver·tight·ness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for sit tight (1 of 3)

SIT

/ text messaging /

abbreviation for

stay in touch

British Dictionary definitions for sit tight (2 of 3)

sit

/ (sɪt) /

verb sits, sitting or sat (mainly intr)

(also tr; when intr, often foll by down, in, or on) to adopt or rest in a posture in which the body is supported on the buttocks and thighs and the torso is more or less upright to sit on a chair; sit a horse

(tr) to cause to adopt such a posture

(of an animal) to adopt or rest in a posture with the hindquarters lowered to the ground

(of a bird) to perch or roost

(of a hen or other bird) to cover eggs to hatch them; brood

to be situated or located

(of the wind) to blow from the direction specified

to adopt and maintain a posture for one's portrait to be painted, etc

to occupy or be entitled to a seat in some official capacity, as a judge, elected representative, etc

(of a deliberative body) to be convened or in session

to remain inactive or unused his car sat in the garage for a year

to rest or lie as specified the nut was sitting so awkwardly that he couldn't turn it

(of a garment) to fit or hang as specified that dress sits well on you

to weigh, rest, or lie as specified greatness sits easily on him

(tr) mainly British to take (an examination) he's sitting his bar finals

(usually foll by for) mainly British to be a candidate (for a qualification) he's sitting for a BA

(intr; in combination) to look after a specified person or thing for someone else granny-sit

(tr) to have seating capacity for

sitting pretty informal well placed or established financially, socially, etc

sit tight

to wait patiently; bide one's time
to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly

See also sit back, sit down, sit-in, sit on, sit out, sit over, sit under, sit up

Word Origin for sit

Old English sittan; related to Old Norse sitja, Gothic sitan, Old High German sizzen, Latin sedēre to sit, Sanskrit sīdati he sits

British Dictionary definitions for sit tight (3 of 3)

tight

/ (taɪt) /

adjective

stretched or drawn so as not to be loose; taut a tight cord

fitting or covering in a close manner a tight dress

held, made, fixed, or closed firmly and securely a tight knot

of close and compact construction or organization, esp so as to be impervious to water, air, etc
(in combination)watertight; airtight

unyielding or stringent to keep a tight hold on resources

cramped or constricted a tight fit

mean or miserly

difficult and problematic a tight situation

hardly profitable a tight bargain

economics

(of a commodity) difficult to obtain; in excess demand
(of funds, money, etc) difficult and expensive to borrow because of high demand or restrictive monetary policy
(of markets) characterized by excess demand or scarcity with prices tending to riseCompare easy (def. 8)

(of a match or game) very close or even

(of a team or group, esp of a pop group) playing well together, in a disciplined coordinated way

informal drunk

informal (of a person) showing tension

archaic, or dialect neat

adverb

in a close, firm, or secure way pull it tight

sit tight

to wait patiently; bide one's time
to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly

sleep tight to sleep soundly

Derived forms of tight

tightly, adverb tightness, noun

Word Origin for tight

C14: probably variant of thight, from Old Norse thēttr close; related to Middle High German dīhte thick

Idioms and Phrases with sit tight (1 of 3)

sit tight

Be patient, take no action, as in If you just sit tight I'm sure your passport will be returned to you. [Colloquial; first half of 1700s]

Idioms and Phrases with sit tight (2 of 3)

sit

In addition to the idioms beginning with sit

sit at one's feet
sit back
sit bolt upright
sit by
sit down
sit in
sit on
sit on one's hands
sit out
sit pretty
sit through
sit tight
sit up
sit well with

also see:

at a sitting

Idioms and Phrases with sit tight (3 of 3)

tight

In addition to the idioms beginning with tight

tight as a drum
tight as a tick
tighten one's belt
tighten the screws
tight rein on, a
tight ship
tight spot
tight squeeze

also see:

in a bind (tight corner)
sit tight

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sit

verb (used without object), sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.

verb (used with object), sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.

Verb Phrases

Idioms for sit

Origin of sit

SYNONYMS FOR sit

usage note for sit

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sit

Words nearby sit

Definition for sit tight (2 of 2)

adjective, tight·er, tight·est.

adverb, tight·er, tight·est.

Origin of tight

SYNONYMS FOR tight

OTHER WORDS FROM tight

British Dictionary definitions for sit tight (1 of 3)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for sit tight (2 of 3)

verb sits, sitting or sat (mainly intr)

Word Origin for sit

British Dictionary definitions for sit tight (3 of 3)

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of tight

Word Origin for tight

Idioms and Phrases with sit tight (1 of 3)

Idioms and Phrases with sit tight (2 of 3)

Idioms and Phrases with sit tight (3 of 3)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sit

verb (used without object), sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.

verb (used with object), sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.

Verb Phrases

Idioms for sit

Origin of sit

SYNONYMS FOR sit

usage note for sit

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sit

Words nearby sit

Definition for sit tight (2 of 2)

adjective, tight·er, tight·est.

adverb, tight·er, tight·est.

Origin of tight

SYNONYMS FOR tight

OTHER WORDS FROM tight

Words related to sit tight

British Dictionary definitions for sit tight (1 of 3)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for sit tight (2 of 3)

verb sits, sitting or sat (mainly intr)

Word Origin for sit

British Dictionary definitions for sit tight (3 of 3)

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of tight

Word Origin for tight

Idioms and Phrases with sit tight (1 of 3)

Idioms and Phrases with sit tight (2 of 3)

Idioms and Phrases with sit tight (3 of 3)