tie-up

1 of 2

noun

1
: a slowdown or stoppage of traffic, business, or operation (as by a mechanical breakdown)
2
: connection, association
helpful financial tie-ups
3
a
: a cow stable
also : a space for a single cow in a stable
b
: a mooring place for a boat

tie up

2 of 2

verb

tied up; tying up or tieing up; ties up

transitive verb

1
: to attach, fasten, or bind securely
also : to wrap up and fasten
2
a
: to connect closely : join
tie up the loose ends
b
: to cause to be linked so as to depend on or relate to something
3
a
: to place or invest in such a manner as to make unavailable for other purposes
their money was tied up in stocks
b
: to restrain from normal movement, operation, or progress
traffic was tied up for miles
4
a
: to keep busy
was tied up in conference all day
b
: to preempt the use of
tied up the phone for an hour

intransitive verb

1
: dock entry 2
the ferry ties up at the south slip
2
: to assume a definite relationship
this ties up with what I told you before

Example Sentences

Verb an accident is tying up traffic at 5th and Broadway
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution plan to build a $4.3 billion electric-vehicle battery factory in the U.S., strengthening their tie-up overseas to meet growing demand for EVs. Kwanwoo Jun, WSJ, 26 May 2023 The tie-up with the richest man in the world’s most populous nation comes after Shein was banned by the Indian government in 2020 in a sweeping crackdown on Chinese companies. Michelle Toh, CNN, 26 May 2023 As sales in China struggle due to lower demand and production tie-ups, Apple has pivoted towards emerging markets, like India, Brazil, and Malaysia, to boost sales. Julia Malleck, Quartz, 12 May 2023 Teck, however, is also publicly raising environmental, social and governance issues in its refusal so far to engage with Glencore about a potential tie-up. Julie Steinberg, wsj.com, 5 May 2023 Chainlink last year announced a tie-up with the global money messaging system SWIFT, and Nazarov told me to be on the lookout for news of the service partnering with other big financial players in the coming months. Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 28 Apr. 2023 The tie-up—which would have been the biggest deal in gaming history—would have seen Microsoft gain control of hugely popular game franchises like World of Warcraft, Candy Crush, and Call of Duty. Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2023 The pair will discuss a diverse agenda, including the war in Ukraine, concerns over China, North Korea’s nuclear threat and a range of business tie-ups between the two countries’ major companies. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2023 The tie-up would create a fund manager with $47 billion invested primarily in corporate debt with below-investment-grade credit ratings. Matt Wirz, WSJ, 5 Apr. 2023
Verb
And with just one episode left before the mid-season finale (and no word on when the show will return for the final 6 episodes of season 5), there are a lot of loose ends to tie up. Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 19 Dec. 2022 Kyle Samani, managing partner at Multicoin Capital, an investment firm with tens of millions of dollars tied up in FTX, says the company has never once considered selling its claim. WIRED, 30 Mar. 2023 Thirty-three years after two thieves, dressed like police officers, talked their way into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, tied up two guards, and fled with masterpieces estimated to be worth more than $500 million, the brazen heist remains one of Boston’s most notorious unsolved crimes. Shelley Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023 With their LPs’ permission, First Round partners made a low-interest loan back to the firm—which had its own cash tied up at SVB—and made a handful of wires on Friday, then more than an additional dozen on Monday. Alex Konrad, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023 Silicon Valley Bank, which was the 16th largest bank in the United States, had an unusually large share of its money tied up in long-term government bonds that had lost value as interest rates rose. Genevieve Redsten, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2023 Over 60 Indian startups backed by US startup accelerator Y Combinator (YC) have more than $250,000 tied up in SVB, according to a TechCrunch report, while well over a dozen more have over $1 million. Julia Malleck, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2023 The bank served as a staple in the venture capital and startup industries, with companies like Etsy, Roku, and Roblox having funds tied up in the institution. Emma Roth, The Verge, 12 Mar. 2023 Hsu is looking for other sources of capital not tied up with SVB to bridge his companies for the next payroll. Jaimie Ding, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tie-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tie-up was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near tie-up

Cite this Entry

“Tie-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tie-up. Accessed 5 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

tie-up

1 of 2 noun
ˈtī-ˌəp
1
: a slowing or stopping especially of traffic or business
2

tie up

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)tī-ˈəp
1
: to fasten securely
2
a
: to use in such a manner as not to be available for other purposes
money tied up in stocks
b
: to keep from working or going
traffic was tied up for hours
3
: to have a relationship with something else
this ties up with what you said before
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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