untie

verb

un·​tie ˌən-ˈtī 

untied; untying or untieing

transitive verb

1

: to free from something that ties, fastens, or restrains : unbind

untied our hands

2

a

: to disengage the knotted parts of

untie a shoe

b

: disentangle, resolve

untie a traffic jam

intransitive verb

: to become loosened or unbound

Synonyms

• unbind
• undo
• unfasten
• unlash

Examples of untie in a Sentence

He untied the package and opened it.

She untied the horse from the post.

Recent Examples on the Web

The victim started to untie the rope, but Cagle jumped on his legs. —Kc Baker, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024

The driver then got out of his car, untied the dogs from the bumper and left them for dead, prosecutors said. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024

Campbell and Jet kiss before untying a picnic basket sealed with a bow. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024

This is a call to journalists to untie themselves from the vocabulary of the political polling industry. —Subramaniam Vincent, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

untie

verb

un·​tie ˌən-ˈtī 

ˈən-

untied; untying or untieing

1

: to free from something that ties or fastens : unbind

untie a horse

2

a

: to undo the knotted parts of

untied her scarf

b

: to straighten out : resolve

untie a traffic jam

3

: to become loosened or unbound

the strings untied easily