tie

American  

[tahy] / taɪ /

verb (used with object)

• ties,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tied,
  past participle,  past
• tying
  present participle

1. to bind, fasten, or attach with a cord, string, or the like, drawn together and knotted.

   to tie a tin can on a dog's tail.

   Antonyms:

   loosen, loose

2. to draw together the parts of with a knotted string or the like.

   to tie a bundle tight.

3. to fasten by tightening and knotting the string or strings of.

   to tie one's shoes.

4. to draw or fasten together into a knot, as a cord.

   to tie one's shoelace.

5. to form by looping and interlacing, as a knot or bow.

6. to fasten, join, or connect in any way.

   Synonyms:

   lock, yoke, knit, link, unite

7. Angling. to design and make (an artificial fly).

8. to bind or join closely or firmly.

   Great affection tied them.

9. Informal. to unite in marriage.

10. to confine, restrict, or limit.

    The weather tied him to the house.

11. to bind or oblige, as to do something.

    Synonyms:

    constrain, obligate

12. to make the same score as; equal in a contest.

13. Music. to connect (notes) by a tie.

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verb (used without object)

• ties,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tied,
  past participle,  past
• tying
  present participle

1. to make a tie, bond, or connection.

2. to make or be the same score; be equal in a contest.

   The teams tied for first place in the league.

noun

• ties
  plural

1. that with which anything is tied.

2. a cord, string, or the like, used for tying, fastening, binding, or wrapping something.

   Synonyms:

   ligature, band, rope

3. a necktie.

   Synonyms:

   cravat

4. a low shoe fastened with a lace.

5. a knot, especially an ornamental one; bow.

6. anything that fastens, secures, or unites.

7. a bond or connection, as of affection, kinship, mutual interest, or between two or more people, groups, nations, or the like.

   family ties; the ties between Britain and the U.S.

8. a state of equality in the result of a contest, as in points scored, votes obtained, etc., among competitors.

   The game ended in a tie.

9. a match or contest in which this occurs.

10. any of various structural members, as beams or rods, for keeping two objects, as rafters or the haunches of an arch, from spreading or separating.

11. Music. a curved line connecting two notes on the same line or space to indicate that the sound is to be sustained for their joint value, not repeated.

12. especially British, sleeper.  Railroads. any of a number of closely spaced transverse beams, usually of wood, for holding the rails forming a track at the proper distance from each other and for transmitting train loads to the ballast and roadbed.

13. bride.

14. Surveying. a measurement made to determine the position of a survey station with respect to a reference mark or other isolated point.

verb phrase

1. tie in

   1. to connect or be connected; be consistent.

      His story ties in with the facts.

   2. Surveying. to establish the position of (a point not part of a survey control).

   3. to make a tie-in, especially in advertising or a sale.

      The paperback book is tied in with the movie of the same title.

2. tie up

   1. to fasten securely by tying.

   2. to wrap; bind.

   3. to hinder; impede.

   4. to bring to a stop; make inactive.

   5. to invest or place (money) in such a way as to render unavailable for other uses.

   6. to place (property) under such conditions or restrictions as to prevent sale or alienation.

   7. to moor a ship.

   8. to engage or occupy completely.

      I can't see you now, I'm all tied up.

3. tie off to tie a cord or suture around (a vein, blood vessel, or the like) so as to stop the flow within.

4. tie down to limit one's activities; confine; curtail.

   He finds that a desk job ties him down.

idioms

1. tie one on, to get drunk.

   Charlie sure tied one on last night!

2. tie the knot. knot.

tie British  

/ taɪ /

verb

1. to fasten or be fastened with string, thread, etc

2. to make (a knot or bow) in (something)

   to tie a knot

   tie a ribbon

3. (tr) to restrict or secure

4. to equal the score of a competitor or fellow candidate

5. informal (tr) to unite in marriage

6. music

   1. to execute (two successive notes of the same pitch) as though they formed one note of composite time value

   2. to connect (two printed notes) with a tie

7. slang very angry or upset

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noun

1. a bond, link, or fastening

2. a restriction or restraint

3. a string, wire, ribbon, etc, with which something is tied

4. US name: necktie.  a long narrow piece of material worn, esp by men, under the collar of a shirt, tied in a knot close to the throat with the ends hanging down the front

5. 1. an equality in score, attainment, etc, in a contest

   2. the match or competition in which such a result is attained

6. a structural member carrying tension, such as a tie beam or tie rod

7. sport a match or game in an eliminating competition

   a cup tie

8. (usually plural) a shoe fastened by means of laces

9. the US and Canadian name for sleeper

10. music a slur connecting two notes of the same pitch indicating that the sound is to be prolonged for their joint time value

11. surveying one of two measurements running from two points on a survey line to a point of detail to fix its position

12. lacemaking another name for bride 2

Synonym Usage

See bond ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undertie
  noun
• retie
  verb (used with object)
• undertie
  verb (used with object)
• well-tied
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ties
  plural

Participles

• tying
  present
• tied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tie
  simple
• ties
  simple
• have tied
  perfect
• has tied
  perfect
• am tying
  progressive
• are tying
  progressive
• is tying
  progressive
• have been tying
  perfect progressive
• has been tying
  perfect progressive

Past

• tied
  simple
• had tied
  perfect
• was tying
  progressive
• were tying
  progressive
• had been tying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tie
  simple
• will have tied
  perfect
• will be tying
  progressive
• will have been tying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tie

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English te(i)gh “cord, rope,” Old English tēagh, tēgh, cognate with Old Norse taug rope; (verb) Middle English tien, Old English tīgan, derivative of the noun; compare Old Norse teygja “to draw”; see tug, tow ¹

Explanation

A tie is a thin piece of cloth that's knotted around the neck, an accessory worn by men on formal occasions. You may wear a tie to graduation, a wedding, or if you're just trying to impress someone. If the score of a game is equal, then the game is a tie. Some games, like chess, can actually end in a tie, but other games, like basketball, continue until there's a winner. You can also use the word tie as a verb: "Looks like the game will tie at two apiece." As a verb, tie also means to fasten two or more things together, like when you tie your shoelaces or your tie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tie ties tied tying

The tie between Dagenham & Redbridge, then in League Two, and a Brentford side recently promoted to the Championship may not have looked the most interesting on paper, but it certainly delivered a gripping match.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Earlier, British number five Jacob Fearnley beat France's Adrian Mannarino 7-6 6-4 to set up a second-round tie against the Czech Republic's Jakub Mensik.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

“Love Story” isn’t alone in heading to a rural setting to tie the knot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

She begins the episode in denim-on-denim with a shirt and tie at an event, then wears coveralls on a date.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

In a moment of sheer stupidity, worried that I will lose my team, I tie my left arm to the sled.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

What Washington calls de la Espriella's "pro-growth agenda" has created an opportunity to "increase trade and deepen economic ties between our countries", it added.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Mexico and Peru announced the restoration of diplomatic ties on Friday, following a months-long split over the asylum bid of a former Peruvian official accused of coup plotting.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Cementing ties to the other capitals adds diplomatic heft alongside prospective arms sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Her opponent in the November mayoral election, Nithya Raman, said last week on the social media platform X that the city should “cut ties with Flock Safety.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Father, solemn, ties a burlap bag onto the saddle.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

"I think it's teaching them a good life lesson that they don't need to be tied to one place."

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Logistics may not sound especially exciting, but it could determine whether humans ever become a multiplanetary species or remain permanently tied to Earth.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Divers tied stone weights around their ankles and held their breath as they sank to the bottom of the shallows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The salmonella outbreak overlaps with the nation’s largest-ever cyclospora outbreak, tied to shredded iceberg lettuce, that has sickened thousands of people over the past several weeks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

Her legs were crossed and she jounced her foot, which was shod in a heeled shoe tied with a ribbon bow at the ankle.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Long-term agreements are one way that the chip makers can prolong or insure their earnings an margins, by tying up clients into deals that last years.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

To overcome this reluctance and ensure that only people interested in tying the knot joined, those signing up had to prove that they were legally single and pass an online interview, among other conditions.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Together, Samsung Electronics 005930 0.58%increase; up pointing triangle and SK Hynix 000660 -0.33%decrease; down pointing triangle account for over half of the index, tying the broader market’s fortunes to the two semiconductor giants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Khalife sparked a nationwide manhunt when he absconded from HMP Wandsworth, where he was awaiting trial on spying charges, by tying himself to the bottom of a food delivery truck.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

And instead of tying me up in knots, the magic would bring us together.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• attach
• clinch
• join
• knot
• link
• secure