Tie meaning

What does “tie” mean? Definitions, examples, synonyms and opposites.

“tie” is a noun and verb with 18 meanings. Its most common meaning is: neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front.

tie

noun

  1. neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front

    “he stood in front of the mirror tightening his necktie”

    “he wore a vest and tie”

    Synonymsnecktie
  2. a social or business relationship

    “a valuable financial affiliation”

    “he was sorry he had to sever his ties with other members of the team”

  3. equality of score in a contest

  4. a horizontal beam used to prevent two other structural members from spreading apart or separating

    “he nailed the rafters together with a tie beam”

    Synonymstie beam
  5. a fastener that serves to join or connect

    “the walls are held together with metal links placed in the wet mortar during construction”

  6. the finish of a contest in which the score is tied and the winner is undecided

    “the game ended in a draw”

    “their record was 3 wins, 6 losses and a tie”

    Synonymsdrawstandoff
  7. (music) a slur over two notes of the same pitch; indicates that the note is to be sustained for their combined time value

  8. one of the cross braces that support the rails on a railway track

    “the British call a railroad tie a sleeper”

  9. a cord (or string or ribbon or wire etc.) with which something is tied

    “he needed a tie for the packages”

verb

  1. fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord

    “They tied their victim to the chair”

    Synonymsbind
    Oppositesuntie
  2. finish a game with an equal number of points, goals, etc.

    “The teams drew a tie”

    Synonymsdraw
  3. limit or restrict to

    “I am tied to UNIX”

    “These big jets are tied to large airports”

  4. connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces

    “Can you connect the two loudspeakers?”

    “Tie the ropes together”

  5. form a knot or bow in

    “tie a necktie”

  6. create social or emotional ties

    “The grandparents want to bond with the child”

  7. perform a marriage ceremony

    “The minister married us on Saturday”

    “We were wed the following week”

  8. make by tying pieces together

    “The fishermen tied their flies”

  9. unite musical notes by a tie

Source: WordNet 3.1, Princeton University