tie

[ tahy ]

/ taɪ /

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See synonyms for: tie / tied / tying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), tied

[tahyd], /taɪd/, ty·ing

[tahy-ing]. /ˈtaɪ ɪŋ/.

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.

to draw together the parts of with a knotted string or the like: to tie a bundle tight.

to fasten by tightening and knotting the string or strings of: to tie one's shoes.

to draw or fasten together into a knot, as a cord: to tie one's shoelace.

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

to fasten, join, or connect in any way.

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

to bind or join closely or firmly: Great affection tied them.

Informal. to unite in marriage.

to confine, restrict, or limit: The weather tied him to the house.

to bind or oblige, as to do something.

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

Music. to connect (notes) by a tie.

verb (used without object), tied

[tahyd], /taɪd/, ty·ing

[tahy-ing]. /ˈtaɪ ɪŋ/.

to make a tie, bond, or connection.

to make or be the same score; be equal in a contest: The teams tied for first place in the league.

noun

that with which anything is tied.

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

a necktie.

a low shoe fastened with a lace.

a knot, especially an ornamental one; bow.

anything that fastens, secures, or unites.

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.

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.

a match or contest in which this occurs.

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.

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.

Also called, 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.

bride² (def. 1).

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

Verb Phrases

tie down, to limit one's activities; confine; curtail: He finds that a desk job ties him down.

tie in,

to connect or be connected; be consistent: His story ties in with the facts.
Surveying. to establish the position of (a point not part of a survey control).
to make a tie-in, especially in advertising or a sale: The paperback book is tied in with the movie of the same title.

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

tie up,

to fasten securely by tying.
to wrap; bind.
to hinder; impede.
to bring to a stop; make inactive.
to invest or place (money) in such a way as to render unavailable for other uses.
to place (property) under such conditions or restrictions as to prevent sale or alienation.
to moor a ship.
to engage or occupy completely: I can't see you now, I'm all tied up.

OTHER WORDS FOR tie

6 unite, link, knit, yoke, lock.

11 obligate, constrain.

17 rope, band, ligature.

18 cravat.

See synonyms for tie on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR tie

1 loose, loosen.

See antonyms for tie on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

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Idioms about tie

tie one on, Slang. to get drunk: Charlie sure tied one on last night!

tie the knot. knot¹ (def. 18).

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, tow¹

synonym study for tie

22. See bond¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM tie

re·tie, verb (used with object), re·tied, re·ty·ing.un·der·tie, nounun·der·tie, verb (used with object), un·der·tied, un·der·ty·ing.well-tied, adjective

Words nearby tie

tidewater, tideway, tidings, tidy, tidytips, tie, tie-and-dye, tieback, tie bar, tie beam, tie-break

How to use tie in a sentence

The president of the Senate, aka Vice President Mike Pence, breaks the tie.
Sunday Magazine: The Deciders|Daniel Malloy|September 13, 2020|Ozy
In the event of a tie, both warlords were granted half a victory.
Can You Reach The Summit First?|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Such strengthening of ties between community organizations and schools could present a chance for educators to make learning resonate with students of all backgrounds.
Creative school plans could counter inequities exposed by COVID-19|Sujata Gupta|September 8, 2020|Science News
The relationship between China and Africa has grown substantially in recent years, to include not only deeper financial ties but also geopolitical ones.
What China has to gain from Africa|Chika Dunga|September 1, 2020|Quartz

Supporters of the army, which maintains close ties with Beijing, have exploited dysfunction in Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government to push legislation that would give it greater control over China’s infrastructure program.
Pakistan’s Military Plots Takeover of Marquee China Project|Charu Kasturi|August 31, 2020|Ozy
What could be more important, to make sure that side of things is right before we tie ourselves to someone forever?
‘Downton Abbey’ Review: A Fire, Some Sex, and Sad, Sad Edith|Kevin Fallon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In fact, Clark fell back first from her blows, losing his cap, tie, and badge in the melee.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
However, an article designed to act as a tie-in to the piece has been published as planned in the BBC magazine Radio Times.
Pulled Documentary Says William Felt ‘Used’ by Charles’ Push for Camilla|Tom Sykes|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, the Republicans should tie their push for infrastructure to getting folks off the couch and back to work.
Bush, Christie, Romney: Who’ll Be the GOP Class Warrior?|Lloyd Green|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cheney is relying on some thin evidence to tie Hussein to al-Qaida.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec. 14|PunditFact.com|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First of all, wrap a portion of damp newspaper round the roots, and then tie up with dry paper.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Bondad sua, seor, I'll be sworn there is not one fit to tie the latchet of your shoe in the whole army.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
But these hidden passions were before young farmer Wurzel, in his blue tie and white hat, had proposed to her.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
His foot caught; it is unknown in what,—in a twisted tie, or perhaps in a crevice of the cracking earth.
A Lost Hero|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
It was the only thing I needed to snap my last tie with England and brace me for the struggle in America.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for tie

tie

/ (taɪ) /

verb ties, tying or tied

(when tr, often foll by up) to fasten or be fastened with string, thread, etc

to make (a knot or bow) in (something)to tie a knot; tie a ribbon

(tr) to restrict or secure

to equal the score of a competitor or fellow candidate

(tr) informal to unite in marriage

music

to execute (two successive notes of the same pitch) as though they formed one note of composite time value
to connect (two printed notes) with a tie

fit to be tied slang very angry or upset

noun

a bond, link, or fastening

a restriction or restraint

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

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 frontUS name: necktie

an equality in score, attainment, etc, in a contest
the match or competition in which such a result is attained

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

sport, British a match or game in an eliminating competitiona cup tie

(usually plural) a shoe fastened by means of laces

the US and Canadian name for sleeper (def. 3)

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

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

lacemaking another name for bride 2

Word Origin for tie

Old English tīgan to tie; related to Old Norse teygja to draw, stretch out, Old English tēon to pull; see tug, tow 1, tight

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012