Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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.

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

Ms. Henstrom is part of a booming industry of lactation consultants and dentists that aggressively markets the procedures, even for babies that have no signs of tongue-tie and despite a small risk of serious complications.

From New York Times • Feb. 15, 2024

Both women are calling for midwives and health visitors to be better trained to diagnose tongue-tie.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2022

Clare suspected Lily might have a posterior tongue-tie, but a midwife at Southmead Hospital was unable to confirm if she was correct.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2022

In tongue-tie the weblike membrane underneath is attached342 too far forward, so that the child is quite unable to protrude his tongue, and this condition greatly interferes with sucking.

From The Mother and Her Child by Sadler, William S.

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.