to tie up
221
3.8
- phrasal verb
- /taɪ ʌp/
- He got tied up in a meeting and missed his lunch appointment.
- tie up traffic
- get tied up
- tie up phone lines
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Watch on YouTubeThat'll be a fun build and it won't tie up all of our AMD parts It's still a really good CPU.
- That'll be a fun build and it won't tie up all of our AMD parts It's still a really good CPU.
- But when fear, when you're engulfed in fear too long, your nervous system begins to tie up on you.
- I heard the whole meeting about getting all the unions and trying to tie up the whole city of New York with the concrete industry and this idea.
Examples
-
Like yesterday when she got tied up in traffic for more than an hour.
Fiction book (1997) -
You will do anything to tie up the legislature to prevent him from doing anything.
Blog text (9) -
I guess they probably got tied up in traffic.
-
But I do not want to tie up our only ambulance in case I am wrong.
Fiction book (2001) -
Right now, all of my effort and energy is tied up in my family and my new writing projects.
Blog text (20) -
Traffic was tied up for blocks.
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OK, Reason being this is going to be a significant portion of your net worth that's tied up in these houses.
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The more of their men we can tie up with repairing roads and bridges the fewer they can spare to fight the south.
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Traffic is really tied up on both the northbound and southbound 405.
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Sparks, Nev. -- A big-rig accident on Interstate 80 tied up traffic in Sparks for hours on Saturday.
Blog text (32)
Synonyms
233
4.6
Hold a person or thing so it cannot move freely
161
2.8
To cause a delay in plans or progress
64
3.2
To tie something tightly with rope or string
52
3.2
To block a pipe or passage so flow stops
47
4.2
To make it harder for someone or something to move forward
41
4.0
To fasten something with rope or straps to keep it from moving
28
6.7
To limit growth or activity so it cannot continue
24
4.6
To tie someone or something with a chain to keep them from moving
22
3.7
To block a drain or road so things cannot move through it
19
6.2
To restrain someone with chains or limit their freedom
13
1.0
To tie or secure something with a strong cord
13
5.5
To fasten a strap tightly so it does not slip
10
4.4
To tie an animal or object so it cannot move away
9
1.0
To tie rope or string so it holds
7
9.3
To tie the arms and legs of a person or animal so they cannot move
3
7.0
To tie the legs and wings of a bird so it cooks evenly
1
9.9
To tie something tightly with rope so it does not move
To hold back or make it hard for someone to act freely
Antonyms
How Blocked
- US
51
5.3
117
1.0
221
3.8
89
5.1
75
3.6
442
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
tie + up
The sense 'to complete the final details' is a metaphorical extension of 'tie' (to bind) plus the particle 'up' which often signals completion; this makes the relation partially inferable from the parts. However, the specific collocational use (e.g. 'tie up loose ends') is somewhat idiomatic and not fully predictable from the literal meanings, so a B1 learner may need exposure to be sure.
Etymology
Tie up comes from the image of tying something so it cannot move, like binding a machine or someone's hands so work stops. That's why it now means 'to delay' or 'prevent from working'.