tidy

adjective

ti·dy | \ ˈtī-dē

tidier; tidiest

Definition of tidy

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : neat and orderly in appearance or habits : well ordered and cared for

b : methodical, precise a tidy mind

2 : large, substantial a tidy profit

3 : adequately satisfactory : acceptable, fair a tidy solution to their problem

4 : properly filled out : plump

tidy

verb

tidied; tidying

Definition of tidy (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to put in order tidy up a room

intransitive verb

: to make things tidy tidying up after supper

tidy

noun

plural tidies

Definition of tidy (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : a usually compartmentalized receptacle for various small objects

2 : a piece of fancywork used to protect the back, arms, or headrest of a chair or sofa from wear or soil

Other Words from tidy Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about tidy

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Other Words from tidy

Adjective

tidily \ ˈtī-də-lē

\ adverb

tidiness \ ˈtī-dē-nəs

\ noun

Verb

tidier noun

Examples of tidy in a Sentence

Adjective

He has always been a tidy person. She earns a tidy salary. They paid a tidy sum for the house.

Verb

I tidied the house before they arrived.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

By random assignment, some participants rated a photo of the room looking cluttered – dirty dishes on the counter, clothing strewn about – while others examined a much tidier version of the same room. — The Conversation, oregonlive.com, "Women judged more harshly than men for a messy house," 7 July 2019 The 26-year-old right-hander struck out six and threw 80 pitches in a tidy return from a strained left hip flexor, which had sidelined him since June 8. — Jake Seiner, courant.com, "German cruises in return, Yankees get 2 HRs to beat Mets 5-1," 4 July 2019 That might explain the amount of small-scale theft that is apparently underway, with visitors stealing everything from maps, menus, and markers to tokens and other props to resell online for a tidy profit. — Graeme Mcmillan, WIRED, "The Rise of Skywalker," 1 July 2019 Keep things organized and tidy with these helpful packing items, below. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Brilliant travel accessories that make hotel rooms feel like home," 21 June 2019 With 300 migrants, mostly families, his shelter was at double its capacity, though still maintaining its tidy appearance. — Washington Post, "Mexico’s migrant shelters overwhelmed in crackdown," 20 June 2019 There is a fence around their tidy little front yard. — Mike Giuliano, baltimoresun.com, "Diverse photographic landscapes at Howard Community College," 20 June 2019 Japan keeps it clean Japan has set a precedent of keeping stadiums clean and tidy at World Cups. — George Ramsay, CNN, "Women's World Cup: Best moments from France 2019," 19 June 2019 Hyena prints are splayed and meaty; African wild dog prints are squarish and tidy; baboon prints look like a small human hand with an extra palm. — Ken Geiger, National Geographic, "Why walking safaris are the best way to see wildlife," 17 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

With Henry Fielding, a magistrate, satirist and friend, Hogarth argued that new legislation was needed to tidy up the streets. — A.v. | New York, The Economist, "Why William Hogarth’s polemics were so successful," 25 June 2019 Trash collectors who arrive to tidy up vacant properties are sometimes met by drug dealers who turn them away, saying their stashes are hidden inside, Chalmers said. — Sarah Meehan, baltimoresun.com, "You asked: Why is there so much litter in Baltimore? We dug into the city's trash problem.," 18 June 2019 On June 6th the Law Commission, which helps Parliament tidy up its legislation, published proposals to change it. — The Economist, "New proposals to regulate Britain’s surrogacy boom," 7 June 2019 Since her show debuted earlier this month, the pint-size clean queen has sparked a global effort in tidying up. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "Thrift Stores And Flea Markets Are Seeing An Influx Due To Marie Kondo," 15 Jan. 2019 While attending Tokyo Women's Christian University to study sociology, her friends started to pay her to tidy up their rooms. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "Marie Kondo's Massive Net Worth Proves That It Pays to Keep a Tidy House," 16 Jan. 2019 By contrast, this latest bit of research hammers the gas, forcing it, like a sulky teenager, to tidy away its qubits. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Rough-and-ready quantum memory may link disparate quantum systems," 9 Nov. 2018 The October 2018 Update tried to tidy up this situation. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Windows 10 October 2018 Update no longer deletes your data," 10 Oct. 2018 The robots will be tidying the aisles by January 31, 2019. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Walmart Buys Over 300 Aisle-Cleaning Robots," 6 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Volunteer for Clean Valley Council’s annual spring cleanup to keep the forest tidy for resident turtles and salamanders. — Caitlin Etherton, National Geographic, "Visit the real-life forests that inspired these famous books," 15 Apr. 2019 The appeal of my WeWork space is fairly obvious: Someone else maintains the free coffee, waters the plants, and tidies up the sun dappled work spaces. — Aaron Pressman, Fortune, "Data Sheet—Why WeWork Has to Pay Up for Rapid Growth," 25 Apr. 2018 The most popular affordable robot vacuum A good robot vacuum can help you keep your home tidy between deep cleanings, and the Eufy RoboVac 11+ is the #1 best-selling robot vacuum on Amazon right now. — Samantha Gordon, USA TODAY, "These are the 5 best Amazon deals for the first day of spring," 20 Mar. 2018 The truth escapes them that within a month, their designer efforts will be covered in old pizza boxes and dirty clothes exactly like the other rooms -- until mom shows up a day early for homecoming and tidies things up a bit. — Beth Thames, AL.com, "Oprah for president? She's served her country already," 10 Jan. 2018 YOUR PROPERTY TIDY Have the lawn mowed, the plants watered and the pool cleaned. — Ronda Kaysen, New York Times, "How to Protect Your House When You’re on Vacation," 14 July 2017 Buy Photo Erica Tunnell’s tidy row home in the Overbrook section of the city was swarmed Saturday by environmental activists, students and public health experts. — Chris Mondics, Philly.com, "Activists, community groups test for lead," 24 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tidy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.