What does "tie" mean?
A knot; a fastening.
Tie
/taɪ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A knot; a fastening.
- Grammar: tie is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bind, draw, link, link.
- Useful contrasts: bludgeon, creams, defeat.
- Usage evidence: Your tie blends well with your suit.
How to use "tie"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tie" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tie" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tie" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tie" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tie" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bind" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tie", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A knot; a fastening.
- 2 a fastener that serves to join or connect wordnet
- 3 A knot of hair, as at the back of a wig.
- 4 neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front wordnet
- 5 A necktie (item of clothing consisting of a strip of cloth tied around the neck). See also bow tie, black tie.
Show 22 more definitions
- 6 a cord (or string or ribbon or wire etc.) with which something is tied wordnet
- 7 A lace-up shoe.
"Oxford ties; Derby ties"
- 8 a horizontal beam used to prevent two other structural members from spreading apart or separating wordnet
- 9 A twist tie, a piece of wire embedded in paper, strip of plastic with ratchets, or similar object which is wound around something and tightened.
- 10 one of the cross braces that support the rails on a railway track wordnet
- 11 A connection between people or groups of people, especially a strong connection.
"the sacred ties of friendship or of duty"
- 12 (music) a slur over two notes of the same pitch; indicates that the note is to be sustained for their combined time value wordnet
- 13 A structural member firmly holding two pieces together.
"Ties work to maintain structural integrity in windstorms and earthquakes."
- 14 the finish of a contest in which the score is tied and the winner is undecided wordnet
- 15 A horizontal wooden or concrete structural member that supports and ties together rails. US
- 16 a social or business relationship wordnet
- 17 The situation in which two or more participants in a competition are placed equally.
"It's two outs in the bottom of the ninth, tie score."
- 18 equality of score in a contest wordnet
- 19 The situation at the end of all innings of a match where both sides have the same total of runs (different from a draw).
- 20 An equalizer, a run, goal, point, etc which causes participants in a competition to be placed equally or have the same score(s). US
"I thought José was still a point down. I thought he needed another takedown to tie and pull ahead, so I ordered José to let his man up. I looked up too late, realizing that José already scored a tie. By that point, the New Jersey champion got his ..."
- 21 A meeting between two players or teams in a competition. British
"The FA Cup third round tie between Liverpool and Cardiff was their first meeting in the competition since 1957."
- 22 A curved line connecting two notes of the same pitch denoting that they should be played as a single note with the combined length of both notes.
- 23 A curved line connecting two letters (⁀), used in the IPA to denote a coarticulation, as for example /d͡ʒ/. phonetic, transcription
"Wikipedia: tie (typography)"
- 24 One or more equal values or sets of equal values in the data set.
- 25 A bearing and distance between a lot corner or point and a benchmark or iron off site.
- 26 A connection between two vertices.
- 27 A tiewig.
"[H]e ordered his boarders and apartments to be dished out for the occasion, spared no pains in adorning his own person, and in particular employed a whole hour in adjusting a voluminous tye, in which he proposed to make his appearance."
Verb
- 1 To twist (a string, rope, or the like) around itself securely. transitive
"Tie this rope in a knot for me, please."
- 2 form a knot or bow in wordnet
- 3 To form (a knot or the like) in a string or the like. transitive
"Tie a knot in this rope for me, please."
- 4 limit or restrict to wordnet
- 5 To attach or fasten (one thing to another) by string or the like. transitive
"Tie him to the tree."
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 finish a game with an equal number of points, goals, etc. wordnet
- 7 To secure (something) by string or the like. figuratively, sometimes, transitive
"Tie your shoes."
- 8 fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord wordnet
- 9 To have the same score or position as another in a competition or ordering. ambitransitive
"They tied for third place."
- 10 connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces wordnet
- 11 To have the same score or position as (another) in a competition or ordering. US, transitive
"He tied me for third place."
- 12 unite musical notes by a tie wordnet
- 13 To unite (musical notes) with a line or slur in the notation.
- 14 make by tying pieces together wordnet
- 15 To believe; to credit. US, colloquial, dated
"[…] It seems they have sort of betrothal teas — can you tie it?" "Heavens!" said Mary […]"
- 16 perform a marriage ceremony wordnet
- 17 In the Perl programming language, to extend (a variable) so that standard operations performed upon it invoke custom functionality instead. transitive
"So, a class for tying a hash to an ISAM implementation might provide an extra method to traverse a set of keys sequentially (the “S” of ISAM), since your typical DBM implementation can't do that."
- 18 create social or emotional ties wordnet
Example
"Your tie blends well with your suit."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tie"?
Common synonyms include: bind, draw, link, link, accent, accent mark.
How do you use "tie" in a sentence?
Your tie blends well with your suit.
How do you pronounce "tie"?
Pronounced /taɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English teye (“cord, chain”), from Old English tēag, tēah (“cord, chain”), from Proto-West Germanic *taugu, from Proto-Germanic *taugō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-. Compare Danish tov, Icelandic taug.
Etymology 2
From Middle English teien, teiȝen, from Old English tīġan, tīeġan, from Proto-West Germanic *taugijan, from Proto-Germanic *taugijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to tug, draw”). Cognate with Icelandic teygja.