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Synonyms

tongue-tie

American  
[tuhng-tahy] / ˈtʌŋˌtaɪ /

noun

  1. impeded motion of the tongue caused especially by shortness of the frenum, which binds it to the floor of the mouth.

verb (used with object)

tongue-tied, tongue-tying

  1. to make tongue-tied.

tongue-tie British  

noun

  1. a congenital condition in which the tongue has restricted mobility as the result of an abnormally short frenulum

"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

Etymology

Origin of tongue-tie

First recorded in 1545–55; back formation from tongue-tied

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Her son had a tongue-tie, a condition where the strip of skin connecting the tongue to the mouth is tighter than usual, making it almost impossible for him to latch on to her breast.

From BBC • Aug. 10, 2024

An estimated 7% of babies are diagnosed with a condition called tongue-tie, in which the connection between the tongue and the floor of the mouth is too strong and limits tongue movement.

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2024

The quick procedure, known as a tongue-tie release, involves a dentist or doctor snipping a tight band of tissue connecting the tongue to the bottom of the mouth.

From New York Times • Dec. 18, 2023

He also suggested Patient A underwent a lingual tongue-tie release, which he said would allow her to rest with her tongue on the roof of her mouth and strengthen the jaw.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2022

No authority existed that could tongue-tie his art.

From My Tropic Isle by Banfield, E. J. (Edmund James)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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