untie

verb

un·​tie ˌən-ˈtī How to pronounce untie (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In almost no time Sophie and Laura had managed to untie one knot, only to find a tighter and far more perplexing one at its center. Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 The end of season two left a few loose ends untied after Ashtray (Javon Walton) dies in a police shootout, after which his brother Fezco (Angus Cloud) is hauled out by officers. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025 The first step to liberate is to shout out what was to open space for what becomes tongues untied, our pet phoenix rising. Jennifer Harlan, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024 Several types of operations are required to make the kind of knot that represents 0, untie it and tie it into a knot that represents 1, or create a quantum superposition of the two. IEEE Spectrum, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for untie

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of untie was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Untie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untie. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

untie

verb
un·​tie ˌən-ˈtī How to pronounce untie (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on untie

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!