tie

A2 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

Also spelled tye and tyin

US /taɪ/ See IPA manual

Homophones

taille /taɪ/

Minimal pairs

Sounds like thigh /θ/ vs /t/

Freq #1657

Meanings

1

noun
A long, narrow piece of cloth worn around the neck under a shirt collar and knotted at the front.

He stood in front of the mirror, tightening his tie.
2

verb
To fasten or join things together using string, rope, or cord.

She tied the parcel with a length of strong string.
3

verb
To finish a game or contest with the same score as your opponent.

The two teams tied at two goals each.
4

verb
To make a knot or bow in something.

He bent down to tie his shoelaces.
5

noun
A result in which two competitors have an equal score.

The match ended in a tie.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with tie

tie up Phrasal verb A2

to secure something with string, rope, or a similar fastening

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a long, narrow piece of... necktie

2 verb · to fasten or join things... bind

3 verb · to finish a game or contest... draw

5 noun · a result in which two... draw

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

tie up
to secure something with string, rope, or a similar fastening

Verb + adverb

Idioms (1)

See all

tie the knot
to get married

Proverbs (1)

See all

A tie is like kissing your sister

Etymology

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.

*dewk- Proto-Indo-European teye Middle English tēag Old English *taugu Proto-West Germanic *taugō Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

External links

# tie

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /taɪ/
**Frequency rank:** 1657

## Meanings
1. A long, narrow piece of cloth worn around the neck under a shirt collar and knotted at the front.
2. To fasten or join things together using string, rope, or cord.
3. To finish a game or contest with the same score as your opponent.
4. To make a knot or bow in something.
5. A result in which two competitors have an equal score.

## Examples
- He stood in front of the mirror, tightening his tie.
- She tied the parcel with a length of strong string.
- The two teams tied at two goals each.
- He bent down to tie his shoelaces.
- The match ended in a tie.

## Synonyms
- bind
- fasten
- link

## Antonyms
- unfasten
- untie

## Derived Forms
- black-tie
- bowtie
- cross-tie
- gut-tie
- hog-tie
- self-tying
- shoe-tie
- tie-a-leaf
- tie-dye
- tie-in
- tie-out
- tie-up

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *dewk-
- Root: teye
- Root: tēag
- Root: *taugu
- Root: *taugō

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Tie is 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. The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *dewk-, Middle English teye, Old English tēag, Proto-West Germanic *taugu, Proto-Germanic *taugō. In present-day use, it can mean a long, narrow piece of cloth worn around the neck under a shirt collar and knotted at the front, or to fasten or join things together using string, rope, or cord.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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tie

Meanings

Verb forms

Multiword verbs with tie

Thesaurus

Appears in

Phrases (1)

Idioms (1)

Proverbs (1)

Etymology

Topics

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