tie
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to draw together the parts of with a knotted string or the like.
to tie a bundle tight.
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to fasten by tightening and knotting the string or strings of.
to tie one's shoes.
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to draw or fasten together into a knot, as a cord.
to tie one's shoelace.
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to form by looping and interlacing, as a knot or bow.
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to fasten, join, or connect in any way.
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Angling. to design and make (an artificial fly).
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to bind or join closely or firmly.
Great affection tied them.
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Informal. to unite in marriage.
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to confine, restrict, or limit.
The weather tied him to the house.
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to bind or oblige, as to do something.
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to make the same score as; equal in a contest.
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Music. to connect (notes) by a tie.
verb (used without object)
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to make a tie, bond, or connection.
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to make or be the same score; be equal in a contest.
The teams tied for first place in the league.
noun
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that with which anything is tied.
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a cord, string, or the like, used for tying, fastening, binding, or wrapping something.
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a necktie.
- Synonyms:
- cravat
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a low shoe fastened with a lace.
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a knot, especially an ornamental one; bow.
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anything that fastens, secures, or unites.
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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.
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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.
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a match or contest in which this occurs.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Surveying. a measurement made to determine the position of a survey station with respect to a reference mark or other isolated point.
verb phrase
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tie in
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to connect or be connected; be consistent.
His story ties in with the facts.
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Surveying. to establish the position of (a point not part of a survey control).
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to make a tie-in, especially in advertising or a sale.
The paperback book is tied in with the movie of the same title.
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tie up
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to fasten securely by tying.
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to wrap; bind.
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to hinder; impede.
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to bring to a stop; make inactive.
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to invest or place (money) in such a way as to render unavailable for other uses.
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to place (property) under such conditions or restrictions as to prevent sale or alienation.
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to moor a ship.
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to engage or occupy completely.
I can't see you now, I'm all tied up.
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tie off to tie a cord or suture around (a vein, blood vessel, or the like) so as to stop the flow within.
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tie down to limit one's activities; confine; curtail.
He finds that a desk job ties him down.
idioms
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tie one on, to get drunk.
Charlie sure tied one on last night!
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tie the knot. knot.
verb
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to fasten or be fastened with string, thread, etc
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to make (a knot or bow) in (something)
to tie a knot
tie a ribbon
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(tr) to restrict or secure
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to equal the score of a competitor or fellow candidate
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informal (tr) to unite in marriage
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music
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to execute (two successive notes of the same pitch) as though they formed one note of composite time value
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to connect (two printed notes) with a tie
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slang very angry or upset
noun
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a bond, link, or fastening
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a restriction or restraint
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a string, wire, ribbon, etc, with which something is tied
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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
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an equality in score, attainment, etc, in a contest
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the match or competition in which such a result is attained
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a structural member carrying tension, such as a tie beam or tie rod
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sport a match or game in an eliminating competition
a cup tie
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(usually plural) a shoe fastened by means of laces
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the US and Canadian name for sleeper
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music a slur connecting two notes of the same pitch indicating that the sound is to be prolonged for their joint time value
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surveying one of two measurements running from two points on a survey line to a point of detail to fix its position
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lacemaking another name for bride 2
Related Words
See bond 1.
Other Word Forms
- retie verb (used with object)
- undertie noun
- well-tied adjective
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”; tug, tow 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
U.S. futures tied to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq were trading 0.2% and 0.4% higher, respectively, while those linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were little changed, FactSet data showed.
Previous revelations surrounding the former duchess' ties to Epstein led to her being dropped as a patron or ambassador from a series of charities last year.
From BBC
At an event with Dombrovskis in London on Monday, Reeves argued stronger ties are increasingly important as "we are sliding towards a world where the rules are less clear".
From BBC
The fund, which had more than $5 billion in assets before Friday’s plunge, is one example of the debt-fueled bets tied to metals that likely contributed to their rise and subsequent violent correction.
Has he merely—as some seem to believe—swapped combat fatigues for a tie, or has he undergone a genuine political and moral conversion?
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
