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• tie-in
  tie-in

  adjective

  pertaining to or designating a sale in which the buyer in order to get the item desired must also purchase one or more other, usually undesired, items.
• tie in
  tie in

  verb

  to come or bring into a certain relationship; coordinate

tie-in

American  

[tahy-in] / ˈtaɪˌɪn /

adjective

1. pertaining to or designating a sale in which the buyer in order to get the item desired must also purchase one or more other, usually undesired, items.

2. of or relating to two or more products advertised, marketed, or sold together.

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noun

1. an arrangement or campaign whereby related products are promoted, marketed, or sold together.

   a book and movie tie-in.

2. a tie-in sale or advertisement.

3. an item in a tie-in sale or advertisement.

4. any direct or indirect link, relationship, or connection.

   There is a tie-in between smoking and cancer.

tie in British  

verb

1. to come or bring into a certain relationship; coordinate

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noun

1. a link, relationship, or coordination

2. publicity material, a book, tape, etc, linked to a film or broadcast programme or series

3. 1. a sale or advertisement offering products of which a purchaser must buy one or more in addition to his purchase

   2. an item sold or advertised in this way, esp the extra item

   3. ( as modifier )

      a tie-in sale

tie in Idioms  

1. Connect closely with, coordinate, as in They are trying to tie in the movie promotion with the book it is based on, or His story does not tie in with the facts. [First half of 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of tie-in

First recorded in 1920–25; adj., noun use of verb phrase tie in

Example Sentences

Suit and tie in a heatwave, head down, reading out his prepared lines about the games at the event in Chatham House, welcoming Uganda as a new member country.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026

England's reward for progressing to the knockout rounds is a tie in Atlanta with DR Congo, who finished third in Group K after drawing with Portugal, losing to Colombia, and beating Uzbekistan.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

Researcher Gary Marcus said he saw the United States and China battling to a "tie" in the AI race -- until Friday's government announcement.

From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026

The lieutenant governor serves on various boards that oversee the University of California, California State University and community college systems, and can be called upon to break a tie in the state Senate.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

And how did a computer bug tie in with what he had seen the night before?

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz