Synonyms

untie

American

[uhn-tahy] / ʌnˈtaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to loose or unfasten (anything tied); let or set loose by undoing a knot.
to undo the string or cords of.
to undo, as a cord or a knot; unknot.
to free from restraint.
to resolve, as perplexities.

verb (used without object)

to become untied.

untie British

/ ʌnˈtaɪ /

verb

to unfasten or free (a knot or something that is tied) or (of a knot or something that is tied) to become unfastened
(tr) to free from constraint or restriction

"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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of untie

before 1000; Middle English untyen, Old English untīegan. See un- ², tie

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.

"These cuts and reductions untie perpetrators' hands everywhere, leaving them to do whatever they please. With crises mounting, we cannot afford a human rights system in crisis," he added.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

As a gesture of true camaraderie, they grin and untie their own blue pañuelos and tie these kerchiefs around our necks.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

TSA has often been a crapshoot, risking pileups as travelers pulled laptops from carry-ons and novice vacationers struggled to untie their sneakers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025

They told him the weather was too bad and tried to untie his skates.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2024

Then I untie the black collared shirt from around my waist and put it on, buttoning it up all the way to my neck and clipping my suspenders over it.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

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