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

Then, in a paper posted in June, Hermiller and her longtime collaborator Mark Brittenham uncovered a pair of knots that, when combined, form a knot that is easier to untie than the conjecture predicts. —Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025

Philanthropic support, untied to narrow deliverables, can enable scientists to cross the disciplinary silos that federal agencies often reinforce — silos that reflect not just bureaucratic divisions but also entrenched cultural differences across the sciences. —John Drake, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

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

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