3 PHRASAL VERB If you tie an animal up , you fasten it to a fixed object with a piece of rope so that it cannot run away. □ [V n P ] Would you go and tie your horse up please. □ [V P n] They dismounted, tied up their horses and gave them the grain they had brought.
4 PHRASAL VERB If you tie up an issue or problem, you deal with it in a way that gives definite conclusions or answers. □ [V P n] Kingfisher confirmed that it hopes to tie up a deal within the next two weeks. □ [V n P ] We could have tied the whole case up without getting you and Smith shot at.
5 → see also tied up , tie-up
▸ tie up with → see tie in with
tie -break (tie-breaks ) N‑COUNT A tie-break is an extra game which is played in a tennis match when the score in a set is 6-6. The player who wins the tie-break wins the set. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, usually use tie-breaker
tie -breaker (tie-breakers ) N‑COUNT A tie-breaker is an extra question or round that decides the winner of a competition or game when two or more people have the same score at the end.
tied /ta I d/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A tied cottage or house belongs to a farmer or other employer and is rented to someone who works for him or her. [BRIT ] □ He lives with his family in a tied cottage in Hamsey.
2 → see also tie
tie d u p ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If someone or something is tied up , they are busy or being used, with the result that they are not available for anything else. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ with ] He's tied up with his new book. He's working hard, you know. [Also + in ]
tie -dye (tie-dyes , tie-dyeing , tie-dyed )
1 VERB [usu passive] If a piece of cloth or a garment is tie-dyed , it is tied in knots and then put into dye, so that some parts become more deeply coloured than others. □ [be V -ed] He wore a T-shirt that had been tie-dyed in bright colours. □ [V -ed] I bought a great tie-dyed silk scarf.
2 N‑VAR [usu N n] A tie-dye is a garment or piece of cloth that has been tie-dyed. □ They wore tie-dyes and ponchos. □ …a hideous tie-dye shirt.
tie -pin (tie-pins ) also tiepin N‑COUNT A tie-pin is a thin narrow object with a pin on it which is used to pin a person's tie to their shirt.
tier /t I ə r / (tiers )
1 N‑COUNT A tier is a row or layer of something that has other layers above or below it. □ [+ of ] …the auditorium with the tiers of seats around and above it. ● COMB Tier is also a combining form. □ …a three-tier wedding cake.
2 N‑COUNT A tier is a level in an organization or system. □ [+ of ] Islanders have campaigned for the abolition of one of the three tiers of municipal power. ● COMB Tier is also a combining form. □ …the possibility of a two-tier system of universities.
tie -up (tie-ups )
1 N‑COUNT A tie-up or a traffic tie-up is a long line of vehicles that cannot move forward because there is too much traffic, or because the road is blocked by something. [AM ] □ In some cities this morning, there were traffic tie-ups up to 40 miles long. in BRIT, use traffic jam 2 N‑COUNT A tie-up between two organizations is a business connection that has been arranged between them. □ [+ between ] …tie-ups between big media companies and telecommunications operators. [Also + with ]
tiff /t I f/ (tiffs ) N‑COUNT A tiff is a small unimportant quarrel, especially between two close friends or between people in a romantic relationship.
ti|ger /ta I gə r / (tigers )
1 N‑COUNT A tiger is a large fierce animal belonging to the cat family. Tigers are orange with black stripes.
2 → see also paper tiger
tight ◆◇◇ /ta I t/ (tighter , tightest )
1 ADJ Tight clothes or shoes are rather small and fit closely to your body. □ His jeans were too tight. ● tight|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ He buttoned his collar tightly round his thick neck.
2 ADV [ADV after v] If you hold someone or something tight , you hold them firmly and securely. □ She just fell into my arms, clutching me tight for a moment. □ Hold on tight! ● ADJ [usu ADJ n] Tight is also an adjective. □ As he and Henrietta passed through the gate he kept a tight hold of her arm. ● tight|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ She climbed back into bed and wrapped her arms tightly round her body.
3 ADJ Tight controls or rules are very strict. □ The measures include tight control of media coverage. □ Security is tight this week at the polling sites. ● tight|ly ADV [ADV after v, ADV -ed] □ The internal media was tightly controlled by the government during the war.
4 ADV [ADV -ed, ADV after v] Something that is shut tight is shut very firmly. □ I keep the flour and sugar in individual jars, sealed tight with their glass lids. □ She kept her eyes tight closed. ● tight|ly ADV [ADV after v, ADV -ed] □ Pemberton frowned and closed his eyes tightly.
5 ADJ Skin, cloth, or string that is tight is stretched or pulled so that it is smooth or straight. □ My skin feels tight and lacking in moisture. ● tight|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Her sallow skin was drawn tightly across the bones of her face.
6 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Tight is used to describe a group of things or an amount of something that is closely packed together. □ She curled up in a tight ball, with her knees tucked up at her chin. □ The men came in a tight group. ● ADV Tight is also an adverb. □ The people sleep on sun loungers packed tight, end to end. ● tight|ly ADV [ADV after v, ADV -ed] □ Many animals travel in tightly packed lorries and are deprived of food, water and rest.