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tie-up

[ tahy-uhp ]
/ ˈtaɪˌʌp /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR tie-up ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a temporary stoppage or slowing of business, traffic, telephone service, etc., as due to a strike, storm, or accident.
the act or state of tying up or the state of being tied up.
an involvement, connection, or entanglement: the tie-up between the two companies; his tie-up with the crime syndicate.
a mooring place; place where a boat may be tied up.
a cow barn with stalls.
a stall allotted to each cow in such a barn.

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Origin of tie-up

First recorded in 1705–15; noun use of verb phrase tie up

Words nearby tie-up

tie tack, Tietê, tie the knot, tie, tied, Tietze's syndrome, tie-up, tiff, Tiffanie, tiffany, Tiffany glass, Tiffany setting
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to tie-up

closure, interruption, layoff, gridlock, shutdown, down, standstill, obstruction, blockage, discontinuance, occlusion, downtime, deduction, arrest, jam, abeyance, hindrance, stopping, close, immobilization

Example sentences from the Web for tie-up

British Dictionary definitions for tie-up

tie up

verb (adverb)

noun tie-up

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

Idioms and Phrases with tie-up

tie up
1

Fasten securely; also, moor a ship. For example, Can you help me tie up these bundles? or The forecast was terrible, so we decided to tie up at the dock and wait out the storm. The first usage dates from the early 1500s, the nautical usage from the mid-1800s.

2

Impede the progress of, block, as in The accident tied up traffic for hours. [Late 1500s]

3

Keep occupied, engage, as in She was tied up in a meeting all morning. [Late 1800s]

4

Make funds or property inaccessible for other uses, as in Her cash is tied up in government bonds. [Early 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.