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Glite Dictionary
tying up

tying up

5 3.7
To fasten a boat to a dock with ropes
  • noun
translation icon : amarre

Examples

  • Some smaller boats were actually left dangling from their mooring ropes as the dock spots they were tied up to were now several feet off the water.

    Blog text (11)

  • Sipping happily at his coffee, he watched the small boat tying up in the harbor and wondered why the two fishermen were in such a hurry.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Squinting into the dusk, the harbormaster walks out over the dock as he finishes tying up the skiff.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • We are in a boat basin recently built but not officially open (many reasons for this, from docks that cannot stay flat to pilings that are leaning over at 30 degrees), and hence tying up to the dock is free, which always puts a smile on sailors' faces.

    Blog text (28)

  • Before leaving the harbor, the crew was busy with the tying up of the boat to the dock.

  • After a long journey, the captain supervised the tying up of the ship to its mooring.

  • The sailor demonstrated the proper technique for tying up the vessel securely at the marina.

Synonyms

docking
vstying up
  • Specialized
81 3.7

Tying a ship to the side of a pier with ropes

focuses on fastening specifically by ropes rather than other methods
tying
vstying up
1 1.6

Using string or rope to hold things together

is limited to fastening a boat at the pier using ropes
moorage
vstying up
  • Specialized
8.0

To tie a boat to a dock or a buoy with ropes

is the general act of fastening a boat at the pier using ropes
dockage
vstying up
  • Specialized
7.9

To secure a ship at a dock with ropes

refers to the single act of fastening a boat at the pier using ropes
tethering
vstying up
4.1

Tying an animal or thing to a fixed point to stop it moving

is meant to secure a boat at the pier rather than to limit general movement

How Secure

anchor
95 2.7
mooring
  • Specialized
4 5.0
tying up
5 3.7
docking
  • Specialized
81 3.7
berth
6 5.8

Surface Forms

tying up singular
tying ups plural

Morphology

tie + up

The noun 'tying up' is a direct nominalization of the verb phrase 'tie up', where 'tie' (to secure with rope) together with the particle 'up' (marking fastening/completion) yields the meaning 'securing a boat to a mooring.' This compositional verb+particle pattern is literal and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The noun tying up comes from sailors tying a rope to a dock or post. They were literally tying the boat up so it would not drift, so the term means 'the act of securing a boat'.