to tie up
- phrasal verb
- /taɪ ʌp/
- Listen, Axel, did you leave the boat tied up?
- tie up the boat
And then long hair you can tie up in a ponytail.
- And then long hair you can tie up in a ponytail.
- You could use this as a shelter, but you don't have any cord to tie anything up with.
- I might need some gel just to tie up these little side pieces, but I think it's pretty good.
- But they have, instead of having buttons, they've got a tie that you tie up and then the bottoms are just matching.
- So like it's in this, you know, shipping box, but then you open it and spelt like cute little raffia and it's all tied up with a cute little Juke twine bow.
- So it's just not as cute when you tie it up.
Examples
-
By the time they reached land and tied up in protected water, all of them were exhausted.
Fiction book (1999) -
Now bring this wire over to that tree, and tie it up about three feet off the ground.
-
I told you to tie him up.
-
I might need some gel just to tie up these little side pieces, but I think it's pretty good.
-
Then you take that, you tie it up and you throw that whole plastic bag into your green bin.
-
Do you see all those horses and mules tied up out there?
Fiction book (1992) -
At our meeting, he handed me a manuscript in a large envelope tied up with string.
Academic text (2011) -
I walked away from our house, carrying my things tied up in an apron.
Fiction book (2001) -
Soon the steamboat was tied up there, and people began to stroll about.
Fiction book (2002) -
We need to tie up the boat securely before the storm arrives.
Synonyms
To fasten things together by making a knot with string or rope
To join or fasten one thing to another so they stay together
To tie something tightly with rope or string
To fasten a belt or strap with a clasp
Hold something in place so it cannot move
To fasten something with a band so it stays in place
To hold something in place so it does not move
To tie things together with a thin cord
To tie an animal or object so it cannot move away
To fasten something securely with rope or cord
To tie or secure something with a strong cord
To tie a boat so it does not move
To fasten a strap tightly so it does not slip
To fasten something with rope or straps to keep it from moving
To tie the legs and wings of a bird so it cooks evenly
To tie a rope to something to hold it for safety, for example when climbing or docking a boat
To tie things together with rope to hold them in place
To bend the end of a nail to hold things together
To fasten something with a strong wire or rope
Fasten a rope or string so it does not come loose
To tie something tightly with rope so it does not move
To tie a rope to a metal or wooden fitting to hold it in place
Antonyms
How Secure
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 literal act of fastening a boat with rope: you tie it up so it cannot drift away. So it means 'to fasten' or 'secure'.