sɪt taɪt
General
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- Sitting firmly in place
What does "sit tight" mean?
- To wait patiently and not take action
- To stay where you are and not move
Examples
- Just sit tight—help is on the way.
- Sit tight while I check on this.
- We'll sit tight until we hear from them.
Origin
From literally sitting firmly and securely. Used figuratively since the early 1900s for patience.
How to use it
Reassuring phrase often used in emergencies. Implies patience will be rewarded.
Similar expressions
wait patiently
stay put
hold on
hang tight
Opposites
act now
move on
take action
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "sit tight" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.