untieun‧tie /ʌnˈtaɪ/ verb (past tense and past participle untied, present participle untying, third person singular unties) [transitive] 
Peter untied his shoelaces.
VERB TABLE
untie
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | untie |
| he, she, it | unties | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | untied |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have untied |
| he, she, it | has untied | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had untied |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will untie |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have untied |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am untying |
| he, she, it | is untying | |
| you, we, they | are untying | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was untying |
| you, we, they | were untying | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been untying |
| he, she, it | has been untying | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been untying |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be untying |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been untying |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Amy untied her apron and folded it neatly.
- He untied his right shoe first.
- It was several hours before anyone found me and untied me.
- Someone had untied the boat and it had floated away.
- He untied Dobbs and led her into a large dark shed.
- I learned how to untie the rope and would push my brother over this picket fence.
- She untied then retied the belt with nervous fingers, not quite sure what to do next.
- They untie their Nikes; they cut the tape from their ankles; they shed their jerseys and put on sweatshirts.
- They asked that their wrists be untied.
THESAURUS
to join together the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc: · He fastened the necklace behind her neck.
to fasten something firmly to another object or surface, using screws, nails, tape, glue etc: · The boards were attached with screws.· The prisoner was attached to the wall with chains.
to connect or fasten things together: · Join the pieces using a strong glue
to join things together using glue: · Glue the fabric to the white card.
to fasten something using tape: · The students’ name cards were taped to the table.
to fasten something using staples (=a small piece of wire that is pressed through paper using a special machine): · Don’t staple your résumé to your cover letter.
to fasten things together using a clip (=a small metal object): · A photo was clipped to the letter.
to fasten a tie, shoelaces etc by making a knot: · Don’t forget to tie your shoelaces!
especially British English to fasten a piece of clothing or the buttons etc on it: · The teacher doesn’t have time to do up every child’s coat.· Let me do it up for you.
to fasten a shirt, coat etc with buttons: · His shirt was buttoned right to the top.
to fasten a piece of clothing, a bag etc with a zip: · Zip up your jacket, it’s cold.
to fasten a seat belt, belt, shoe etc that has a buckle (=small metal object that fits through a hole in a strap): · The little girl struggled to buckle her shoes.
to open something that is fastened: · Do not unfasten your seat belt until the car has stopped completely.
to open the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc: · It was hot in the waiting-room, so I unfastened my coat.· Please do not unfasten your seat belt while the vehicle is in motion.
to unfasten clothes or unfasten buttons, zips etc on clothes: · My fingers were so cold that I couldn’t undo the buttons.
to unfasten the knot that fastens shoes, a tie, a scarf etc: · He untied his shoes and kicked them off.
to unfasten the buttons on a piece of clothing: · She slowly unbuttoned her blouse.
to unfasten clothes, bags etc by unfastening a zip: · She unzipped the case and took out a thick file.
to unfasten clothes a little, but not completely, in order to make yourself more comfortable: · Carter took off his jacket and loosened his tie.
to unfasten a bag, box, or other container: · ‘Could you open your bag, please?’ said the security guard.
Longman Language Activatorto fasten things together, using rope, string etc to fasten one thing to another using rope, string, wire etc: tie something to/around/onto etc something: · Don't forget to tie this label onto your suitcase.· The washing line was tied to a tree.· Saul tied one end of the rope around a large rock and lowered himself over the cliff.tie a package/parcel (=keep it closed by putting string around it): · The package had been tied with strong green string.tie something together: · If the rope is too short, tie two pieces together.· When the teacher stood up, he found that his shoes had been tied together.
to tie things together so that they are held firmly together: tie something up: · I put the coins in a piece of cloth, tied it up and put the package in my bag.tie up something: · Clara tied up all the books again and put the bundle under the desk.
especially British, informal to tie or fasten something, especially a piece of clothing: do something up: · Could you do up the back of this dress for me?do up your shoes/laces (=tie the strings on your shoes): · Do up your laces before you trip and fall.
to tie something very tightly to something else so that it will not move at all: lash something to something: · The bags were lashed tightly to the roof of the jeep.lash something together: · The sailors made a raft by lashing tree-trunks together.
to tie things or people to each other using a fairly long piece of rope, so that they are connected to each other at a distance: · The climbers were roped together for safety and proceeded cautiously.
to prevent someone from escaping by tying rope around them to tie someone's arms and legs with rope so that they cannot move: tie somebody up/tie up somebody: · The soldiers tied them up and beat them.· Mrs Bennett had been tied up and left in the back of the van.
to prevent a person or animal from escaping by tying them with rope etc: tie somebody to something: · The terrorists tied the hostages to their chairs.· Her horse was tied to a tree.tie somebody's hands/feet together: · The kidnappers had tied his hands together and blindfolded him.
to tie someone's arms, legs etc so that they cannot move at all - used in literature or in newspapers: · The hostages had been bound and gagged and left in a corner of the room.bind somebody hand and foot: · It was like being bound hand and foot to a torturer's chair.
to tie someone's legs or arms with a thick chain: · The prisoners were shackled together and forced to walk 600 miles across country.
to tie an animal such as a dog or horse to something, using a rope, so that it can move around but cannot walk away: · The farmer tethered a goat in the field and left it there for the day.tether something to something: · My horse had been tethered to a post, but somehow it escaped.
to tie a knot in something to tie a knot in a piece of string, rope, cloth etc: tie a knot in something: · Quickly tying a knot in his tie, John finished dressing and went to work.tie a knot/bow: · At school camp they taught us how to tie various knots.tie the laces/tapes etc: · Pull both ends tight, tie the tapes, then inflate the life jacket.
to tie a knot in something in order to fasten it: · He tied the rope to the tree, knotted it, and attached the other end to his car.knot something around something: · Britt casually knotted a silk scarf around her neck.
to untie something to remove the string or rope from something so that it is no longer held together: · I can't undo the string!· She undid the ribbon and let her hair fall over her shoulders.
to remove or unfasten the string or rope that joins one thing to another: · Someone had untied the boat and it had floated away.· It was several hours before anyone found me and untied me.
to untie a group of wires, ropes etc that have all been mixed together: · The balls of wool were all mixed up, and I couldn't disentangle them.
to unfasten something to open the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc: · It was hot in the waiting-room, so I unfastened my coat.· Jack unfastened his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.
to unfasten clothes or unfasten buttons, zips etc on clothes: · My fingers were so cold that I couldn't undo the buttons.· Rosie undid her necklace and put it on the bedside table.
to unfasten the buttons on a piece of clothing: · She slowly unbuttoned her blouse.· Father Poole began to unbutton his overcoat.
to unfasten clothes, bags etc by unfastening a zip: · She unzipped the case and took out a thick file.· He unzipped his jacket and flung it on a chair.
to unfasten the knot that fastens shoes, a tie, a scarf etc: · He untied his right shoe first.· Amy untied her apron and folded it neatly.
to unfasten clothes a little in order to make yourself more comfortable: · I'd eaten so much that I had to loosen my belt.· Carter took off his jacket and loosened his tie.
a shirt, bag etc that is open is not fastened: · It was very hot and the men had their shirts open to the waist.· Emily realised that her handbag was open and her money gone.come open (=become open accidentally): · Her blouse came open in front of a nationwide TV audience!
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Roger bent to tie his shoelace.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
· He tried to untie the knot in the rope around his ankles.
Roger bent to tie his shoelace.· The snake will untie the intricate knot and the deeply-hidden force of life within Cleopatra will cease.· He urged Kennedy to untie the knot rather than pull it tighter.· Graham untied the knot in the document tape and spread the papers out over his desk.· She untied the knots and removed the saliva sodden strip of cushion covering from his mouth.· Allen went quietly up to them and one by one untied the knots.· If Gorbachev expects to untie the Gordian knot, he has over-estimated his powers.· Ease of movement and energy wisely directed help to untie the physical knots which stressful tension can all too easily create.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
to take the knots out of something, or unfasten something that has been tied OPP tie up: - A similar attempt to cut the Gordian knot of Chapter 4 also proves to be fallacious.
- If Gorbachev expects to untie the Gordian knot, he has over-estimated his powers.
Peter untied his shoelaces.