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 The owl, named Juno, landed on the gloved hand of the best man, who gently untied the pouch and retrieved the wedding rings before the bird flew back to its handler. Cathy Free, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 To begin, lay both pieces face up, with the top's strings untied. Hannah Chubb, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 Guests have to untie the aluminum foil to unveil the steamy aromas of three Japanese mushrooms (shiitake, enoki and maitake), garlic butter, thyme and salt. Lily O'Neill, The Denver Post, 30 Jan. 2024 However, some of us noticed that the laces untie easily. Sarah Kester, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2024 The Trump administration resumed untying Gulliver, exiting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019. John R. Bolton, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 For instance, these vampires will compulsively untie all the human victims' shoelaces. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 10 Sep. 2023 James played only 24 and had 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, spending the final quarter in his warmups with his Nikes untied. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023 Then, the owner would retrieve it from storage (often an ornate cabinet), place it on a table, and, with some sense of ceremony, carefully untie the cords and brocade silk bindings to begin unfurling it. WIRED, 19 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'untie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near untie

Cite this Entry

“Untie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untie. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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
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