tie

[ tahy ]
See synonyms for: tietiedtying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),tied [tahyd], /taɪd/, ty·ing [tahy-ing]. /ˈtaɪ ɪŋ/.
  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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  7. Informal. to unite in marriage.

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

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

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

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

verb (used without object),tied [tahyd], /taɪd/, ty·ing [tahy-ing]. /ˈtaɪ ɪŋ/.
  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
  1. that with which anything is tied.

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

  1. a low shoe fastened with a lace.

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

  3. anything that fastens, secures, or unites.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. a match or contest in which this occurs.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

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

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

  2. 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.

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

  2. 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.

Idioms about tie

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

  2. tie the knot. knot1 (def. 18).

Origin of tie

1
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 for tie

Opposites for tie

Other words from tie

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

Words Nearby tie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tie in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tie

tie

/ (taɪ) /


verbties, tying or tied
  1. (when tr, often foll by up) 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

  1. (tr) to restrict or secure

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

  3. (tr) informal to unite in marriage

  4. 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

  5. fit to be tied slang very angry or upset

noun
  1. a bond, link, or fastening

  2. a restriction or restraint

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

  2. 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: US name: necktie

    • an equality in score, attainment, etc, in a contest

    • the match or competition in which such a result is attained

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

  4. sport, British a match or game in an eliminating competition: a cup tie

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

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

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

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

  9. lacemaking another name for bride 2

Origin of tie

1
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