tie-up

[ tahy-uhp ]

noun

1. a temporary stoppage or slowing of business, traffic, telephone service, etc., as due to a strike, storm, or accident.
2. the act or state of tying up or the state of being tied up.
3. an involvement, connection, or entanglement:

   the tie-up between the two companies; his tie-up with the crime syndicate.

4. a mooring place; place where a boat may be tied up.
5. a cow barn with stalls.
6. a stall allotted to each cow in such a barn.

tie up

verb

1. tr to attach or bind securely with or as if with string, rope, etc
2. to moor (a vessel)
3. tr; often passive to engage the attentions of

   he's tied up at the moment and can't see you

4. tr; often passive to conclude (the organization of something)

   the plans for the trip were tied up well in advance

5. to come or bring to a complete standstill
6. tr to invest or commit (funds, etc) and so make unavailable for other uses
7. tr to subject (property) to conditions that prevent sale, alienation, or other action

noun

1. a link or connection
2. a standstill
3. an informal term for traffic jam

Word History and Origins

Origin of tie-up¹

First recorded in 1705–15; noun use of verb phrase tie up

Example Sentences

It also allows the club to tie up all the loose ends around Amorim’s coaching team, with interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy stating after the Leicester game he expects to hear either on Sunday or Monday whether he and the remainder of Ten Hag’s team who stayed on following the Dutchman’s dismissal last month are to stay.

From BBC

Rugby league's international game has some way to go to catch some of its peers, but at least genuine progress is being made to tie up the sport on both sides of the equator.

From BBC

To build that trust factor, Mr Malik and his team had to tie up with village-level women entrepreneurs to act as their sales and delivery agents.

From BBC

They tie up resources, enrage and distract elected officials, demoralize workers who are struggling to restore roads, electricity and water, and, inevitably, invite threats of violence.

From Los Angeles Times

"You don't just tie up a dog and have them out there for a storm, totally unacceptable," DeSantis told a news briefing on Tuesday.

From BBC

Related Words

• closure
• gridlock
• interruption
• layoff
• shutdown