untie

[uhn-tahy]

See more synonyms for untie on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), un·tied, un·ty·ing.

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), un·tied, un·ty·ing.

to become untied.

Origin of untie

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

Can be confusedunite untie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for untie

loosen, untangle, disentangle, unhitch, undo, unfasten, unknot, unbind, disengage, extricate, free, unlace

Examples from the Web for untie

Contemporary Examples of untie

“I bent over to untie my shoelaces, and I felt an agent pouring cold water on me,” said Adonys, who has filed an asylum request.
Immigrants Held in Border Deep Freezers
Rachael Bale, The Center for Investigative Reporting
November 19, 2013

Historical Examples of untie

Tell your men to untie us, and throw the ropes back into the tent.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
"David's harnessin' now," said Mary, beginning to untie her apron.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
You have just seen me untie the knot, dissociate the electrons, or what you will.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various
Will you promise not to do yourself a mischief, if I untie you?
Stories of a Western Town
Octave Thanet
John hastened to untie the children, who trembled from head to foot.
The Fairchild Family
Mary Martha Sherwood

British Dictionary definitions for untie

untie

verb -ties, -tying or -tied

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

Word Origin and History for untie

Old English untiegan, from un- (2) + tie (v.). Related: Untied; untying.