variants
or tieing up
as in impeding
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
an accident is tying up traffic at 5th and Broadway
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tying up
Mercury retrograde later in the month encourages solitude, forgiveness, and tying up loose emotional ends.
—
Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Jan. 2026
His strategies often involve exploiting legal loopholes and tying up loose ends in court.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
On the first goal in question, Lohrei could have gotten a little more help from Tanner Jeannot in tying up Jonah Gadjovich’s stick, but AJ Greer beat Lohrei to the loose puck and then Jeremy Swayman to the shortside.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Djerf admitted to tying up Patricia and Damien Luna, who were the only ones at home.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
Now, the election outcome is being challenged, tying up the proceedings with the National Labor Relations Board, and leaving workers in limbo for an indefinite period until a decision is finalized by the government agency.
—Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
You’re paid for the risk of tying up money.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Jan. 2026
His strategies often involve exploiting legal loopholes and tying up loose ends in court.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
On the first goal in question, Lohrei could have gotten a little more help from Tanner Jeannot in tying up Jonah Gadjovich’s stick, but AJ Greer beat Lohrei to the loose puck and then Jeremy Swayman to the shortside.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Djerf admitted to tying up Patricia and Damien Luna, who were the only ones at home.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
Now, the election outcome is being challenged, tying up the proceedings with the National Labor Relations Board, and leaving workers in limbo for an indefinite period until a decision is finalized by the government agency.
—Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
You’re paid for the risk of tying up money.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tying up
Verb
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Several other cases remain pending — most notably the high-profile conspiracy charges against six protesters, including several Democratic political candidates, accused of impeding immigration officers and damaging a vehicle outside the Broadview ICE facility in September.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
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In the end, she was issued a $164 citation for impeding traffic by refusing to follow a temporary traffic pattern.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The wintry blast, after hampering malls and stores Sunday, is making travel challenging Monday with roads still presenting treacherous conditions, coated by a mixture of frozen precipitation.—
Brian Womack,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Elon Musk warned the biggest issue hampering AI advancement in the United States is a problem Chinese competitors don’t have.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Instead, the gases compete with each other, with the presence of one gas actually hindering the adsorption, or trapping, of the others.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
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While the city’s downtown high-rise program has helped add three projects totaling 1,226 units, only one building has been constructed in the past few years, hindering the city’s long-term vision of increasing density and making the area a true mixed-use neighborhood.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Recently, Ryan spoke about the Beckham situation, the process of writing material as a mother without embarrassing her kids and her new goal of returning to the career trajectory of her pre-pregnant self in the near future.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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Some mushroom bills backfired when their true impacts became known, embarrassing legislators who voted for them, and forcing them to backtrack.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For decades, business leaders have complained that California’s regulatory climate has overburdened companies across the state, blaming a morass of rules, permits and paperwork for pushing businesses and jobs out of state and holding back economic growth.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
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In court filings and a hearing earlier Friday, the states contended that the government did not have a legal reason for holding back the money from those states.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Twin Cities,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department felt otherwise, accusing him of federal civil rights crimes for obstructing access to a house of worship.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
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City Councilmember Mitchell Englander resigned his post and was later imprisoned in 2021, convicted of obstructing an FBI investigation into his acceptance of lavish gifts in Las Vegas from a businessman who sought favors from him.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tying up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tying%20up. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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