tied-up 1 of 2

adjective

as in engaged
involved in often constant activity we'll be tied-up with work for the next several days

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tied up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tie up
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of an accident is tying up traffic at 5th and Broadway

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tied-up
Verb
Even after Hammami was tied up (passengers used headphone cords and plastic zip ties), the passengers and crew were in danger. — Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 The town has spent years wrestling with how to reduce aircraft noise, including past efforts to impose curfews and restrictions becoming tied up in court. — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Even though The Onion doesn’t technically own InfoWars yet (the deal is still tied up in Texas bankruptcy courts), the company is forging ahead with its vision to remake the conspiracy site in its own image. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026 Now, the courts get to decide, which could cause any new regulation to get immediately tied up in litigation. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 5 Oct. 2026 Hypermasculinity is not simply tied up in an individual’s behavior, but can become embedded within organizational cultures that reward toughness, dominance, risk-taking and silence. — Pietro A. Sasso, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026 RevOps gets tied up reconciling data from disconnected platforms instead of driving strategy. — Kylie Fuentes, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Then there was Florence Pugh, who continues to embrace soft romance with delicate, sumptuously blonde waves tied up with a sweet black ribbon. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2026 Riyadh might therefore need to reach a separate cease-fire agreement with the Houthis to fully secure its energy infrastructure—a tall task, given that Saudi Arabia’s dispute with the group is tied up in Yemen’s 12-year civil war. — Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tied-up
  1. engaged
  2. hampered
  3. busy
  4. impeded
  5. diligent
  6. hindered
  7. occupied
  8. embarrassed
Adjective
  • The survey describes a wealthy, highly engaged slice of the generation, not Gen Z consumers generally.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Greene-Placentia later became more engaged in Arizona Democratic politics.
    — Jacques Billeaud, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of engaged
Verb
  • The domestic economy is otherwise moribund, hampered by bad debts and a shrinking labor force.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Special teams miscues and penalties once again hampered the Rams in a game that featured three touchdown passes by Matthew Stafford and a career-best 17 catches by Puka Nacua.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of hampered
Adjective
  • Erik Neander’s Oura Ring, a device that monitors heart rate and stress among other functions, had been busy in the days leading up to and during the American League Division Series against the Yankees.
    — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Even on busy weekends, the staff are perfectly primed to welcome guests with Southern charm and efficiency.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of busy
Verb
  • The ongoing conflict that has driven people from their homes in Iran as well as an internet shutdown and a lack of full cooperation from the two governments partially impeded the team's efforts to get information.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The ongoing conflict that has driven people from their homes in Iran as well as an internet shutdown and a lack of full cooperation from the two governments partially impeded the team’s efforts to get information.
    — Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of impeded
Adjective
  • There are no straightforward steps like in the days when a diligent worker could land a job at a good company, work hard to get promoted and hope to climb the corporate ladder.
    — Julia Carpenter, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Edwards said Brown was diligent in going to work and didn’t worry about the weather at all.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of diligent
Verb
  • Soldiers and family members have told The Associated Press of a failure to recognize the seriousness of injuries, a poor plan to get the wounded to hospitals and red tape that has hindered follow-up care.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Most of those still without power live in the Amazon, where isolation and high infrastructure costs have hindered electrification.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of hindered
Adjective
  • Israeli settlers opened fire on olive harvesters in the occupied West Bank.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Israel had threatened to shut the facility down completely in a dispute over British sanctions barring the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
    — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of occupied
Verb
  • Over two games in Tampa, the Rays had embarrassed the Yankees – nearly no hitting them in Game 1 and putting the ball in play and watching the errors ensue in Game 2.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Philadelphia embarrassed itself in a non-competitive loss at Chicago on Monday night, unable to go drive-for-drive with journeyman quarterback Case Keenum, a 38-year-old backup’s backup.
    — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of embarrassed

Browse Nearby Words

tied (together)
tied-up
tied up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tied-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tied-up. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All