tie

American  

[tahy] / taɪ /

verb (used with object)

• ties,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tied,
  past participle,  past
• tying
  present participle

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.

   Antonyms:

   loosen, loose

2. to draw together the parts of with a knotted string or the like.

   to tie a bundle tight.

3. to fasten by tightening and knotting the string or strings of.

   to tie one's shoes.

4. to draw or fasten together into a knot, as a cord.

   to tie one's shoelace.

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

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

   Synonyms:

   lock, yoke, knit, link, unite

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

8. to bind or join closely or firmly.

   Great affection tied them.

9. Informal. to unite in marriage.

10. to confine, restrict, or limit.

    The weather tied him to the house.

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

    Synonyms:

    constrain, obligate

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

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

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verb (used without object)

• ties,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tied,
  past participle,  past
• tying
  present participle

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

• ties
  plural

1. that with which anything is tied.

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

   Synonyms:

   ligature, band, rope

3. a necktie.

   Synonyms:

   cravat

4. a low shoe fastened with a lace.

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

6. anything that fastens, secures, or unites.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. a match or contest in which this occurs.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. bride.

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

verb phrase

1. tie in

   1. to connect or be connected; be consistent.

      His story ties in with the facts.

   2. Surveying. to establish the position of (a point not part of a survey control).

   3. to make a tie-in, especially in advertising or a sale.

      The paperback book is tied in with the movie of the same title.

2. tie up

   1. to fasten securely by tying.

   2. to wrap; bind.

   3. to hinder; impede.

   4. to bring to a stop; make inactive.

   5. to invest or place (money) in such a way as to render unavailable for other uses.

   6. to place (property) under such conditions or restrictions as to prevent sale or alienation.

   7. to moor a ship.

   8. to engage or occupy completely.

      I can't see you now, I'm all tied up.

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

4. tie down to limit one's activities; confine; curtail.

   He finds that a desk job ties him down.

idioms

1. tie one on, to get drunk.

   Charlie sure tied one on last night!

2. tie the knot. knot.

tie British  

/ taɪ /

verb

1. 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

3. (tr) to restrict or secure

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

5. informal (tr) to unite in marriage

6. music

   1. to execute (two successive notes of the same pitch) as though they formed one note of composite time value

   2. to connect (two printed notes) with a tie

7. slang very angry or upset

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noun

1. a bond, link, or fastening

2. a restriction or restraint

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

4. US name: necktie.  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

5. 1. an equality in score, attainment, etc, in a contest

   2. the match or competition in which such a result is attained

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

7. sport a match or game in an eliminating competition

   a cup tie

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

9. the US and Canadian name for sleeper

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

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

12. lacemaking another name for bride 2

Synonym Usage

See bond ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undertie
  noun
• retie
  verb (used with object)
• undertie
  verb (used with object)
• well-tied
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ties
  plural

Participles

• tying
  present
• tied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tie
  simple
• ties
  simple
• have tied
  perfect
• has tied
  perfect
• am tying
  progressive
• are tying
  progressive
• is tying
  progressive
• have been tying
  perfect progressive
• has been tying
  perfect progressive

Past

• tied
  simple
• had tied
  perfect
• was tying
  progressive
• were tying
  progressive
• had been tying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tie
  simple
• will have tied
  perfect
• will be tying
  progressive
• will have been tying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tie

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, tow ¹

Explanation

A tie is a thin piece of cloth that's knotted around the neck, an accessory worn by men on formal occasions. You may wear a tie to graduation, a wedding, or if you're just trying to impress someone. If the score of a game is equal, then the game is a tie. Some games, like chess, can actually end in a tie, but other games, like basketball, continue until there's a winner. You can also use the word tie as a verb: "Looks like the game will tie at two apiece." As a verb, tie also means to fasten two or more things together, like when you tie your shoelaces or your tie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tie ties tied tying

The scoreboard showed a tie game, but No. 7 LSU owned all the momentum, and a Tigers comeback now seemed inevitable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

The Giants took a different approach to tie the score for a second time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

The club say it was anticipated Gabriel would become their youngest senior player by playing in Wednesday night's EFL Cup tie with Brighton.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

“He’d tie that stringer around my hand and let the fish pull me around the creek.”

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Round glasses and a crisp suit and tie.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

England's Ross Smith and Northern Ireland's Josh Rock also won their last-16 ties to complete the quarter-final line-up.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

But by the album’s closer “If We Meet Again,” she cuts ties entirely: “If we ever amend/Nevermind, over and out.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

“Agency” is wielding power and autonomy in choosing how to live; “belonging” is forging social ties with others; and “cause” is serving a higher purpose.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Starting with ADM in 1991, Howie Buffett has served on numerous boards across corporate America—some with Berkshire Hathaway ties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Though Roosevelt went home to New York and eventually returned to a career in politics, he still kept some ties to the West.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

“I mean, I’ve been doing this thirst thing for six years, but it is tied to action, otherwise, what’s the point? Engagement is cute, but it doesn’t move people.”

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

California’s share of U.S. post-production employment has fallen from 53% to 42% over the last 13 years, according to CVL Economics, an economic consulting firm tied to California Post Alliance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Hanna recalls that on the eve of her father's disappearance, she had a "bad feeling" - and had crept into his bed and tied his legs to her own with string while he slept.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Alex Pelle, senior U.S. economist at Mizuho Securities, said the Fed has another problem: Inflation is not just rising because of supply-related issues tied to tariffs and oil.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

Finally, he scraped the antlers and the long bones clean, and tied them into a bundle for splintering later into fishhooks, needles and arrowheads.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

He gave up fly fishing altogether because of difficulty tying a fly to his line.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

She was struck by the Roebucks’ initial identification of their nephew Jeramy, the pill bottle of Jeramy’s left at the crime scene, and the absence of concrete evidence tying Walters to the crime.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

It marked the Dodgers’ 14th straight playoff berth, tying a record set by the Atlanta Braves from 1991 to 2005.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

August was the joint-hottest month ever recorded, tying with July 2023, according to the EU's climate service.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

But now all the rings were in a pile with the other family valuables, and their mother was tying it all up with a small parcel of clothing.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Related Words

• attach
• clinch
• join
• knot
• link
• secure