Dictionary

tie up en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. To secure with rope, string, etc.
   • The robbers tied up the bank employees before forcing a way into the vault.
   • Don't forget to tie up your hair before you bake.
   • “Mother — Mother will you tie up my shoeies?” Susan’s lisping voice interrupted their conversation. 1956 June 16, Dulce E. Waller, “Your Family and You”, in The Hamilton Spectator, volume CXI, number 140, Hamilton, Ont., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 12, column 2:
   • At the far end of the houses the head gardener stood waiting for his mistress, and he gave her strips of bass to tie up her nosegay. This she did slowly and laboriously, with knuckly old fingers that shook. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIX, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
2. (idiomatic) To occupy, detain, keep busy, or delay.
   • Just how much traffic was tied up was not immediately determined but in Houston about 150 cars of grain arrived yesterday and could not be transferred to the port because of the Port Terminal Railroad picketing. 1964 June 16, “Surprise Strike Stops Traffic On 6 Railroads”, in The Indianapolis Star, volume 62, number 11, Indianapolis, Ind., page 3:
   • He has been tying up the phone lines for hours now.
3. (idiomatic) To complete, finish, or resolve.
   • I'd like to tie up the project before I leave.
   • Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief Elspeth Macdonald said the whitefish fleet could have had to tie up for the entire year because of the recommendation. 2025 December 5, “Isles economy could take £16m hit from cod quota slash, fishing official says”, in Shetland News:
4. To immobilize a capital: make a capital investment that makes that capital unavailable.
   • Don't tie up your capital in aging accounts.

Forms

Deriveds

tie up loose ends

Relateds

tie-up

Translations (58)

be завя́зваць (to secure with rope, etc.) · ja 括る (to secure with rope, etc.) · fr immobiliser (to immobilize a capital.) · nl vastbinden (to secure with rope, etc.) · es apersogar (to secure with rope, etc.) · uk прив'яза́ти (to secure with rope, etc.) · la ligō (to secure with rope, etc.) · pl związywać (to secure with rope, etc.) · ru связа́ть (to secure with rope, etc.) · la vinciō (to secure with rope, etc.) · be звя́зваць (to secure with rope, etc.) · eo ligi (to secure with rope, etc.) · ru привяза́ть (to secure with rope, etc.) · de binden (to secure with rope, etc.) · ar رَبَطَ (to secure with rope, etc.) · ru завяза́ть (to secure with rope, etc.) · de fesseln (to secure with rope, etc.) · uk зв'я́зувати (to secure with rope, etc.) · de festlegen (to immobilize a capital.) · pl przywiązać (to secure with rope, etc.) · uk зав'яза́ти (to secure with rope, etc.) · pl związać (to secure with rope, etc.) · fi köyttää (to secure with rope, etc.) · be звяза́ць (to secure with rope, etc.) · la alligō (to secure with rope, etc.) · gl atar (to secure with rope, etc.) · ia ligar (to secure with rope, etc.) · de anbinden (to secure with rope, etc.) · mi renarena (to secure with rope, etc.) · uk прив'я́зувати (to secure with rope, etc.) · pl zawiązywać (to secure with rope, etc.) · be завяза́ць (to secure with rope, etc.) · ru привя́зывать (to secure with rope, etc.) · de zubinden (to secure with rope, etc.) · yi צובינדן (to secure with rope, etc.) · be прывя́зваць (to secure with rope, etc.) · uk зав'я́зувати (to secure with rope, etc.) · de festbinden (to secure with rope, etc.) · izh köyttää (to secure with rope, etc.) · pl przywiązywać (to secure with rope, etc.) · ru завя́зывать (to secure with rope, etc.) · fr ligoter (to secure with rope, etc.) · grc δέω (to secure with rope, etc.) · ru свя́зывать (to secure with rope, etc.) · cmn 繫 /系 (to secure with rope, etc.) · fi sitoa (to secure with rope, etc.) · pt amarrar (to secure with rope, etc.) · bg привързвам (to secure with rope, etc.) · be прывяза́ць (to secure with rope, etc.) · pl unieruchomić (to immobilize a capital.) · cmn 捆綁 (to secure with rope, etc.) · uk зв'яза́ти (to secure with rope, etc.) · cmn 捆住 (to secure with rope, etc.) · ko 묶다 (to secure with rope, etc.) · bg замразявам (to immobilize a capital.) · gl apreixar (to secure with rope, etc.) · pt atar (to secure with rope, etc.) · cmn 捆紮 (to secure with rope, etc.)