untie

verb

un·​tie ˌən-ˈtī 

untied; untying or untieing

transitive verb

1

: to free from something that ties, fastens, or restrains : unbind

untied our hands

2

a

: to disengage the knotted parts of

untie a shoe

b

: disentangle, resolve

untie a traffic jam

intransitive verb

: to become loosened or unbound

Synonyms

• unfasten
• undo
• loosen
• unbind

Examples of untie in a Sentence

He untied the package and opened it.

She untied the horse from the post.

Recent Examples on the Web

The fashion icon then untied the skirt and wrapped it around Sailor’s neck showing off the outfit’s pants. —Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025

The situation began to unfold after the ship was untied from the dock at 8:16 p.m. Three minutes later, the tugboat Charles D. McAllister assisted the Cuauhtémoc off the pier. —Doc Louallen, ABC News, 30 June 2025

My only beef was that the barrel laces felt clumsy when tightening the shoe and came untied easily. —Jonathan Beverly, Outside Online, 23 June 2025

The Dodgers untied it in a big way, greeting Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada with five consecutive hits in the sixth inning. —Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 17 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for untie

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

Kids Definition

untie

verb

un·​tie ˌən-ˈtī 

ˈən-

untied; untying or untieing

1

: to free from something that ties or fastens : unbind

untie a horse

2

a

: to undo the knotted parts of

untied her scarf

b

: to straighten out : resolve

untie a traffic jam

3

: to become loosened or unbound

the strings untied easily