to tie up
32
6.8
- phrasal verb
- /taɪ ʌp/
:
inmovilizar
- She realized her funds were tied up in property, limiting her immediate cash flow.
- tie up money
No thanks, I've got all my cash tied up in Venezuelan crypto.
- No thanks, I've got all my cash tied up in Venezuelan crypto.
- So why would an arbitrager choose to do this, to tie up this much capital and to take these risks?
- They may get good at setting up shell companies, moving money to offshore banks, tying it up in some other forms of investment or wealth.
- It's a bad use of upfront capital and it ties you up and it's just not smart and, and, and, and what is it for?
Examples
-
My money's tied up in the foreign banks.
-
But investors don't want to tie up their money for years.
-
All his money is tied up in real estate in the bay.
-
I got a lot of money tied up in you.
-
All of his money is also tied up in gold and silver.
Blog text (8) -
My money is tied up in investments.
-
All of her money is tied up in blind trusts.
-
You'll probably need the cash you tied up in the insurance contract to foot the bill.
Blog text (22) -
Importers often tie up extra money in inventory to guard against shortages.
Academic text (2006) -
But most of my money is tied up in a drone kiosk at the mall.
Synonyms
314
4.2
To make someone stay in one place or situation
Antonyms
How Liquid
- Formal
37
6.2
- Formal
3
8.6
300
4.0
32
6.8
715
3.5
235
3.3
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 paints a picture of money being bound so you cannot use it, like cash tied in a box. That's why it means 'to invest money so it is not available for other uses'.