tie

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
tie/tʌɪ/

▶verb (ties, tying, tied)

• 1 attach or fasten with string, cord, etc.

  ■ form into a knot or bow.

  ■ (tie someone up) restrict someone's movement by binding their arms or legs or binding them to something.

• 2 (also tie someone down) restrict or limit to a particular place or situation.

  ■ (usu. be tied up) informal occupy someone to the exclusion of other activity.

  ■ (tie something up) invest or reserve capital so that it is not immediately available for use.

• 3 connect; link.

  ■ (tie in) be or cause to be in harmony with something.

  ■ (tie something up) bring something to a satisfactory conclusion.

• 4 hold together by a crosspiece or tie.

  ■ Music unite (written notes) by a tie.

  ■ Music perform (two notes) as one unbroken note.

• 5 achieve the same score or ranking as another competitor.

• 6 (tie into) N. Amer. informal attack or get to work on vigorously.

▶noun (pl. ties)

• 1 a thing that ties.

• 2 a strip of material worn around the neck beneath a collar, tied in a knot at the front.

• 3 a rod or beam holding parts of a structure together.

  ■ N. Amer. short for cross tie.

• 4 Brit. a sports match between two or more players or teams in which the winners proceed to the next round of the competition: a cup tie.

• 5 a result in a game or match in which two or more competitors have tied.

  ■ Cricket a game in which the scores are level and both sides have completed their innings.

  Compare with draw.

• 6 Music a curved line above or below two notes of the same pitch indicating that they are to be played for the combined duration of their time values.

• 7 US a shoe tied with a lace.

– derivatives
tieless adjective.

– origin OE tīgan (v.), tēah (n.), of Gmc origin.