tie-in

[tahy-in]

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.

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

verb

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tie in¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

Bill’s humanitarian columns with a tie-in to the world of sports showcase his best writing.

From Los Angeles Times

Like the last time, Coates didn’t give a name, but he said something even more intriguing: “The sheriff is my tie-in to the state attorney general because he’s friends.”

From Salon

Unknown 9: Awakening, is part of an attempt to launch a new franchise, with other tie-in works planned to build out the game's universe.

From BBC

Vegetables are an organic tie-in to my daily life today, but also how I was raised in Southern California.

From Salon

Since the Beijing Olympics, the former video game rivals have joined forces in a series of tie-in titles starring characters from both franchises.

From BBC