tie

I UK [taɪ] / US verb
Word forms "tie":
present tense I/you/we/they tie he/she/it ties present participle tying past tense tied past participle tied
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1) [transitive] to make a knot with two ends of a piece of string, rope etc

Sally bent down to tie her shoelaces.

We're teaching him how to tie a tie.

a) [transitive] to fasten something in a particular place using something such as rope

Jan tied his bike onto the back of the car.

Her hands were tied behind her back.

I always tie my hair back when I'm cooking.

b) [transitive] to use something such as string to fasten several things together

She handed them two parcels tied with string.

Tie the flowers into small bunches.

c) [intransitive] to be fastened using something such as string

This skirt ties at the front.

2) [transitive] to combine things, or to form a connection between them

This series ties together events from the past and present.

closely tied:

Portugal's economy is closely tied to Spain's.

3) [transitive, usually passive] if something ties you to a particular place or situation, you cannot leave it

Many young mothers feel tied to the home and children.

An open ticket means you are not tied to returning on a particular day.

4) [intransitive/transitive] if two players or teams in a game tie, they both have the same number of points

The game was tied 1–1 after extra time.

tie for first/second etc place:

They tied for first place, with a time of 25.64 seconds.

•

- tie the knot

- tie yourself in knots

Phrasal verbs:

- tie down

- tie in with

- tie up

- tie up with

II UK [taɪ] / US noun [countable]
Word forms "tie":
singular tie plural ties
**

1) a long narrow piece of cloth that a man wears around his neck under the collar of a shirt. It is tied with a knot. You use expressions such as collar and tie or jacket and tie to refer to formal clothes for men

a silk tie

For work, you should wear a collar and tie (= a shirt with a collar and a tie).

2) a relationship or connection between people or things

The treaty should strengthen ties between the two countries.

family ties:

Family ties have become weakened.

ties of blood/marriage/friendship:

the ties of marriage that united the kings

3) a short piece of string or wire used for fastening something

4) a result of a game or competition in which each person or team has the same number of points, votes etc

finish/end/result in a tie:

The game finished in a tie.

tie for:

There was a tie for fourth place.

5) British one game that is part of a competition

a second-round tie

6) something that limits your freedom

With the animals needing regular attention, running a farm can be a tie.