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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

See Examples For:

tie-in tie in

Chipotle’s latest tie-in with a creator is a bowl with Twitch streamer Pokimane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

While some tie-in with school holidays, other deals are all year round.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Most of the current book sales are for the original paperback edition, though a movie tie-in with Gosling on the cover is also contributing, as are some hardcover volumes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

Strong performances from major franchises including an "Avatar" tie-in game and juggernaut "Assassin's Creed" buttressed struggling French games giant Ubisoft's third-quarter results, the company said Thursday.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

I remember calling out to a certain second grader who was reading a Star Wars tie-in comic on the tire swing.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Floor price and durable offtake agreements boost resilience and provide guardrails for Western participants and tie in end users.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Four-time winners Nottingham Forest will face Leeds in the Carabao Cup in the only all-Premier League tie in the second round of the competition.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The last time England faced Argentina in a World Cup knockout tie, in 1998, one Ayrshire factory capitalised on the fixture by manufacturing the famous blue and white jerseys.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Balogun, 25, appeared certain to miss the tie in Seattle after being shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the previous round.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

I crammed my ribbon tie in my vest pocket and unbuttoned my collar, wiping at the clammy sweat dewed on my neck.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros