Tie Meaning
/taɪ/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA knot; a fastening.
nounA knot of hair, as at the back of a wig.
Sentence Examples
Your tie blends well with your suit.
Your tie has come undone.
He was dressed impeccably in a suit and tie.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
He used a rope to ____ the boat to the dock.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had to wear a formal ____ and a smart suit for his important project meeting with the client today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English teye (“cord, chain”), from Old English tēag, tēah (“cord, chain”), from Proto-West Germanic *taugu, from Proto-Germanic *taugō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-. Compare Danish tov, Icelandic taug.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] the tip of her russet boot almost grazed that of his Oxford tie."
— 1919, Henry B[lake] Fuller, “Cope Makes a Sunday Afternoon Call”, in Bertram Cope’s Year: A Novel, Chicago, Ill.: Ralph Fletcher Seymour, The Alderbrink Press, →OCLC, page 24:
"No distance breaks the tie of blood."
— 1866, Charlotte Mary Yonge, The Prince and the Page:
"In most states the court view is that if a person rents (and particularly if it is only a room), does not have a car, does not live within a nuclear family unit, is not established in full-time employment, then that person is considered to be without ties and an itinerant and therefore ought not to be granted bail."
— 1983 December 31, Gary Phillips, “Gays in Gaol [Jail]: Who Cares”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 24, page 15:
"The film ends with the colorful deaths of Nico's enemies after he thwarts their attempts to assassinate a U.S. Senator investigating ties between drug dealers and the CIA."
— 2004, Peter Bondanella, chapter 4, in Hollywood Italians: Dagos, Palookas, Romeos, Wise Guys, and Sopranos, pages 231–232:
"Taiwan President Lai Ching-te thanked Canada on Tuesday for its support during recent Chinese military drills and praised the deepening of ties between the two sides, shortly ahead of a visit to China by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney."
— 2026 January 13, Ben Blanchard, Fabian Hamacher, “Taiwan thanks Canada for its support ahead of prime minister's China trip”, in Sharon Singleton, editor, Reuters, sourced from Taipei (Reuters), archived from the original on 13 Jan 2026:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He used a rope to ____ the boat to the dock.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had to wear a formal ____ and a smart suit for his important project meeting with the client today.