Standard Lemma guide

tongue-tie

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Ankyloglossia, a congenital oral anomaly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A piece of cloth used to tie down a horse's tongue, to facilitate breathing etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To disconcert or fluster (a person) so that they cannot speak coherently.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

deprive of speech

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • When he met his idol, the young man was tongue-tied

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: deprive

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.