Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- transitive v. To undo or loosen (a knot or something knotted).
- transitive v. To free from something that binds or restrains: untie a horse from a tree.
- transitive v. To straighten out (difficulties, for example); resolve.
- intransitive v. To become untied.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- v. To loosen, as something interlaced or knotted; to disengage the parts of; as, to untie a knot.
- v. To free from fastening or from restraint; to let loose; to unbind.
- v. To resolve; to unfold; to clear.
- v. To become untied or loosed.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- intransitive v. To become untied or loosed.
- transitive v. To loosen, as something interlaced or knotted; to disengage the parts of.
- transitive v. To free from fastening or from restraint; to let loose; to unbind.
- transitive v. To resolve; to unfold; to clear.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To undo, as a knot.
- To undo the fastenings, bands, cords, or wrappings of; loosen and remove the tyings from: as, to unlie a bundle; hence, to let or set loose; dissolve the bonds of; liberate.
- To loosen from coils or convolutions.
- To resolve; unfold; clear.
- To come untied; become loose.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- v. undo the ties of
- v. cause to become loose
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Examples
-
* This first-of-its-kind promotion will "untie" families from giving dad the traditional, same-old gift, instead offering him something he craves - a new smartphone.
-
Replacement of paper with a computer screen, and pencil with electrons, does not "untie" the process.
-
"untie" its aid by 2012-13, so that relief dollars can be spent in Africa, rather than on
-
I did listen to the celebrated 60th anniversary episode, but I'm afraid I lost it when Nigel and someone else climbed on to the gables on a dark and icy night to untie a banner.
Aaaargh! It's the end of Nigel in the Archers. Now which one was he again?
-
Oh this reminds me of a contortionist trying to untie himself after finding itself contorted.
-
She knew how to bite through a gag, untie the most complex knots and bust out of a locked room using the quarter-sized bit of nitroglycerin secreted into the heel of her go-go boot.
-
Rush needs to untie the other half of his brain, the part that does not have his ego tied to it.
-
The Obama Administration tried mightily to entice Assad into "engaging" Washington in a vain attempt to untie Assad from his patron Ahmadinejad.
Amb. Marc Ginsberg: Syria-sly Mr.President, Turn the Heat Up on Assad
-
I must untie the knots of feeling in me, to see if I can uncover the truth of the situation.
-
I'll tell you what it doth profit as soon as I can untie my tongue from these frigging fricatives.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.