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

Dorfman pulled the mini trigger, firing water all over someone’s tie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Barabak: Excuse me, comrades, while I go put on a tie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Without the right protections, a dispute could tie up millions of dollars.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

Facing match point at 8-9 down in the tie break, Alcaraz fired an ace before leaning on a drop shot to stave off a second.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

His tie was loose around his neck, and his top shirt button was undone.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

While Sidhu is in Milwaukee, Greer's counterpart in US-Canada trade talks is Dominic LeBlanc, who handles trade ties between both countries.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The firm also had close ties to the incoming administration, Castillo said, including through Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff and a former co-chair at Mercury.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Holland, a respected former Netflix executive, was one of the few Paramount executives who lacked long ties to Ellison, who brought much of his Skydance team with him to Paramount.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

It comes after he pledged in his Labour conference speech on Tuesday to explore closer ties with the bloc at a delayed summit later this year.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

In January 1944, the country renounced its diplomatic ties with Germany, Japan, Italy, and their Axis allies.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Blacknell contended that four different medical professionals treated Linton after the crash and none of them concluded the wreck was tied to a bipolar episode.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

And New England is now tied for the league lead with eight turnovers—seven of which belong to Maye.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Business investment was revised up half a percentage point to 9% thanks to higher spending on intellectual property and structures tied to AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Another passenger, Zvika Meness, told Israeli public broadcaster Kan he helped overpower the attacker, and the passenger and two others "tied him up with his own zip ties and with the multimedia headphones".

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

We walk in silence to the end of the jetty where Hannie tied the boat perfectly, out of sight from the shore.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

The hosts had the better of the morning session, winning two and tying one of the four-balls.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

The comedian and actor who made his name on an unprintable dirtbag-left-adjacent podcast made the case for tying private equity to bad sandwiches during a recent interview with sports journalist Pablo Torre.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026

But the comparison illustrates the opportunity cost of tying up your money in a home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Shortly after tying the knot, the pair welcomed their first child, daughter Nina.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

They came into the camp in stooped lines, and I took my post near the latrines, tying a bright red scarf around my hair.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Related Words

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