tie that binds
4
5.3
- noun
:
lazo que une
- These are the ties that bind us across time and all sorts of mostly superficial differences, and that have made America the envy of the world.
- ties that bind people together
But whatever those ties that bind and they are tight.
- But whatever those ties that bind and they are tight.
- Potto is signalling not only his controls over the ties that bind, but also that he has his hands on a weapon, just like the club wielder in the small room.
Examples
-
Second, it is essential that, as a society, we take steps to reinforce the ties that bind citizens together.
Academic text (2005) -
It's the emotional tie that binds us all to the physical items.
Blog text (13) -
The culture, the ties that bind, the story of the city... it's just different.
Blog text (19) -
The ties that bind them as a family.
Academic text (2003) -
To discover the ties that bind us.
-
National security will depend on the ties that bind people together.
Academic text (1999) -
Our differences are many—gender, rank, discipline, style, and genre—but in this time and space, writing is the tie that binds us.
Academic text (2006) -
Even so, the Minister of Culture, Jacques Toubon, identified the French language as the "tie that binds" France to all other French-speaking nations in his definition of francophonie, indicating the importance of language to the French nation-state.
Academic text (1997) -
The experiences we share form the tie that binds our friendship.
-
Community service can be a tie that binds people together for a common cause.
Synonyms
325
2.4
A connection that people have with family or friends
322
2.9
A strong connection that holds people or things together
26
3.9
A connection between things, for example air pollution and disease
21
4.8
The state of people or parts staying together and forming a whole
7
3.4
A deep, lasting connection between people or animals
6
4.9
How well things stick together to form one whole
3
3.6
A strong lasting relationship where people trust each other
Antonyms
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'tie' (a bond) combined with 'binds' (to hold together) yields the idea of a bond that unites people. This is a literal, predictable combination following normal English noun + relative clause patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.
Etymology
Tie that binds comes from an image in an old church hymn that compares friendship to a strong tie or rope that binds people together. So, the phrase now means 'a force that keeps people together'.