tie Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
    necktie.
    • he stood in front of the mirror tightening his necktie
    • he wore a vest and tie
  2. noun a social or business relationship
    affiliation; tie-up; association.
    • a valuable financial affiliation
    • he was sorry he had to sever his ties with other members of the team
    • many close associations with England
  3. noun equality of score in a contest
  4. noun a horizontal beam used to prevent two other structural members from spreading apart or separating
    tie beam.
    • he nailed the rafters together with a tie beam
  5. noun a fastener that serves to join or connect
    tie-in; linkup; link.
    • the walls are held together with metal links placed in the wet mortar during construction
  6. noun the finish of a contest in which the score is tied and the winner is undecided
    draw; standoff.
    • the game ended in a draw
    • their record was 3 wins, 6 losses and a tie
  7. noun (music) a slur over two notes of the same pitch; indicates that the note is to be sustained for their combined time value
  8. noun one of the cross braces that support the rails on a railway track
    crosstie; railroad tie; sleeper.
    • the British call a railroad tie a sleeper
  9. noun a cord (or string or ribbon or wire etc.) with which something is tied
    • he needed a tie for the packages
  10. verb fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord
    bind.
    • They tied their victim to the chair
  11. verb finish a game with an equal number of points, goals, etc.
    draw.
    • The teams drew a tie
  12. verb limit or restrict to
    • I am tied to UNIX
    • These big jets are tied to large airports
  13. verb connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces
    link; connect; link up.
    • Can you connect the two loudspeakers?
    • Tie the ropes together
    • Link arms
  14. verb form a knot or bow in
    • tie a necktie
  15. verb create social or emotional ties
    bind; bond; attach.
    • The grandparents want to bond with the child
  16. verb perform a marriage ceremony
    marry; splice; wed.
    • The minister married us on Saturday
    • We were wed the following week
    • The couple got spliced on Hawaii
  17. verb make by tying pieces together
    • The fishermen tied their flies
  18. verb unite musical notes by a tie

WordNet

Tie noun
Etymology
AS. tege, tge, tige. *64. See Tie, v. t.
Wordforms
plural Ties
Definitions
  1. A knot; a fastening.
  2. A bond; an obligation, moral or legal; as, the sacred ties of friendship or of duty; the ties of allegiance.
    No distance breaks the tie of blood. Young.
  3. A knot of hair, as at the back of a wig. Young.
  4. An equality in numbers, as of votes, scores, etc., which prevents either party from being victorious; equality in any contest, as a race.
  5. (Arch. & Engin.) A beam or rod for holding two parts together; in railways, one of the transverse timbers which support the track and keep it in place.
  6. (Mus.) A line, usually straight, drawn across the stems of notes, or a curved line written over or under the notes, signifying that they are to be slurred, or closely united in the performance, or that two notes of the same pitch are to be sounded as one; a bind; a ligature.
  7. pl. Low shoes fastened with lacings.
Tie transitive verb
Etymology
OE. tien, teyen, AS. tigan, tiégan, fr. teág, teáh, a rope; akin to Icel. taug, and AS. teón to draw, to pull. See Tug, v. t., and cf. Tow to drag.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Tied (obsolete Tight ); present participle & verbal noun Tying
Definitions
  1. To fasten with a band or cord and knot; to bind. "Tie the kine to the cart." 1 Sam. vi. 7.
    My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. Prov. vi. 20,21.
  2. To form, as a knot, by interlacing or complicating a cord; also, to interlace, or form a knot in; as, to tie a cord to a tree; to knit; to knot. "We do not tie this knot with an intention to puzzle the argument." Bp. Burnet.
  3. To unite firmly; to fasten; to hold.
    In bond of virtuous love together tied. Fairfax.
  4. To hold or constrain by authority or moral influence, as by knotted cords; to oblige; to constrain; to restrain; to confine.
    Not tied to rules of policy, you find Revenge less sweet than a forgiving mind. Dryden.
  5. (Mus.) To unite, as notes, by a cross line, or by a curved line, or slur, drawn over or under them.
  6. To make an equal score with, in a contest; to be even with.
Tie intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To make a tie; to make an equal score.

Webster 1913