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

Achim said he managed to tie a rope above his leg wound and the crew called emergency services.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

The latest spate of civil actions could tie the city up in costly litigation for years to come.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The only thing missing, really, was my nervous waiter in the bow tie.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

His most notable finish was a tie for 12th at the Masters, which was a stark drop-off for a player who has always had an uncanny ability to level up at majors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Now, in her middy blouse with the sailor bow tie, she still looked like a high school girl.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Requiring only the first prong, she said, would obliterate any need for agents to make an assessment of a person’s ties to the community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The Football Association and the Football League relented before the start of the 1979-80 season, but sponsors' logos still had to be removed for televised games and all cup ties.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

No other country has simultaneously deepened ties with the U.S., maintained a close strategic relationship with China, boosted defense cooperation with Turkey, and kept channels open to Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Many of the biggest Muslim consumer markets are in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia, where China has spent years building ports, railways and commercial ties.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Sweat beads up on the cheeks of boys, leaning on the walls with their hands in their pockets and their ties loosened.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

South Korea's Im Sung-jae is tied for second with Norway's Viktor Hovland at eight under overall, with Ludvig Aberg a shot further back.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The cap was increased a number of times over the decades, and in the 1970s, legislators tied it to the average wage index.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

He has pledged that the expansion would be funded entirely by private donations, though taxpayers could be on the hook for security-related upgrades tied to the project.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

In the weeks since the fire burned and cleanup began, Lineage has been slowly and consistently racking up fines tied to poor air quality and complaints from the community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

And then I tied it to my waist and began to climb back up the cliff.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

There was no physical evidence tying him to the killing, and a dozen people testified that Brooks was at a family party at the time of the shooting.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

In the bottom half of the inning, Crow-Armstrong matched Ohtani with a tying blast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

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

Since there is no restriction tying the singer to a “fixed” notation, children are free to just imitate or to explore, improvise and play with the sound.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

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