Standard Lemma guide

untie

verb · 7 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ʌnˈtaɪ/
  • rhymes with -aɪ
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N T AY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To loosen, as something interlaced or knotted; to disengage the parts of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • to untie a knot

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To free from fastening or from restraint; to let loose; to unbind.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To resolve; to unfold; to clear.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To become untied or loosed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

In the Perl programming language, to undo the process of tying, so that a variable uses default instead of custom functionality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

undo the ties of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • They untied the prisoner

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unbrace, unlace

Antonyms: tie

Broader terms: undo

Narrower terms: unloose, unloosen, unlash

7

verb

Meaning 7

cause to become loose

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • undo the shoelace
  • untie the knot
  • loosen the necktie

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: undo, loosen

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

History

Etymology

From Middle English untien, unteyen, untyȝen, untiȝen, from Old English untīġan (“to untie”), equivalent to un- + tie.

Across languages

Translations

144 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: zgjidh — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Albanian: çlidh — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Arabic: فَكَّ (fakka) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Armenian: արձակել (arjakel) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Armenian: քակել (kʻakel) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Aromanian: dizleg — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Belarusian: развя́зваць (razvjázvacʹ) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Belarusian: развяза́ць (razvjazácʹ) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Bulgarian: развъ́рзвам (razvǎ́rzvam) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Bulgarian: развъ́ржа (razvǎ́rža) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Catalan: deslligar — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Chinese Mandarin: 解開 /解开 (jiěkāi) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Czech: rozvazovat — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Czech: rozvázat — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Dutch: losknopen — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Dutch: losmaken — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Estonian: lahti siduma — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Finnish: avata — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • French: détacher — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • French: délier — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Friulian: disleâ — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Georgian: აქციის (akciis) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • German: losbinden — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Greek: λύνω (lýno) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Greek: ξεδένω (xedéno) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Ancient Greek: λύω (lúō) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Hebrew: פָּרַם (parám) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Hungarian: kiköt — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Hungarian: kifűz — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Hungarian: kiold — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Hungarian: kibogoz — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Hungarian: kicsomóz — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Irish: scaoil — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Italian: disfare — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Italian: sciogliere — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Italian: slegare — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Japanese: 解く (hodoku) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Korean: 풀다 (pulda) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Ladin: deslier — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Latin: solvō — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Malayalam: അഴിക്കുക (aḻikkuka) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Māori: wete — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Māori: wetewete — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Māori: tākiri — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Māori: maheno — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Māori: whakamatora — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Central Sierra Miwok: šu·jum — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Occitan: desligar — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Polish: rozwiązywać — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Polish: rozwiązać — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Portuguese: desamarrar — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Portuguese: desatar — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Quechua: paskay — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Romanian: desface — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Romanian: dezlega — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Russian: развя́зывать (razvjázyvatʹ) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Russian: развяза́ть (razvjazátʹ) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Slovak: rozväzovať — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Slovak: rozviazať — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Spanish: desatar — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Spanish: desamarrar — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Spanish: desligar — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Spanish: desanudar — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Swedish: knyta upp — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Turkish: çözmek — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Ukrainian: розв'я́зувати (rozvʺjázuvaty) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Ukrainian: розв'яза́ти (rozvʺjazáty) — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Venetan: desligar — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Vietnamese: cởi — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Vietnamese: tháo — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Welsh: datod — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Welsh: datglymu — to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted
  • Albanian: zgjidh — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Albanian: çlidh — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Arabic: فَكَّ (fakka) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Armenian: արձակել (arjakel) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Belarusian: адвя́зваць (advjázvacʹ) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Belarusian: адвяза́ць (advjazácʹ) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Bulgarian: отвъ́рзвам (otvǎ́rzvam) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Bulgarian: отвъ́ржа (otvǎ́rža) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Czech: odvazovat — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Czech: odvázat — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Dutch: losmaken — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Finnish: irrottaa — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • French: détacher — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • German: losmachen — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Greek: λύνω (lýno) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Greek: ξεδένω (xedéno) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Greek: ελευθερώνω (eleftheróno) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Ancient Greek: λύω (lúō) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Hebrew: התיר (hitir) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Irish: scaoil — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Italian: disfare — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Malayalam: അഴിക്കുക (aḻikkuka) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Māori: whakamatora — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Māori: maheno — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Polish: odwiązywać — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Polish: odwiązać — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Portuguese: desamarrar — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Portuguese: desatar — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Russian: отвя́зывать (otvjázyvatʹ) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Russian: отвяза́ть (otvjazátʹ) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Slovak: odväzovať — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Slovak: odviazať — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Spanish: soltar — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Swedish: lösgöra — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Swedish: knyta loss — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Turkish: çözmek — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Ukrainian: відв'я́зувати (vidvʺjázuvaty) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Ukrainian: відв'яза́ти (vidvʺjazáty) — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Welsh: datod — to free from fastening or from restraint
  • Dutch: ontrafelen — to resolve
  • Dutch: oplossen — to resolve
  • Dutch: ontwarren — to resolve
  • Finnish: ratkaista — to resolve
  • German: aufklären — to resolve
  • German: auflösen — to resolve
  • German: beschließen — to resolve
  • German: beseitigen — to resolve
  • German: lösen — to resolve
  • Greek: λύνω (lýno) — to resolve
  • Portuguese: resolver — to resolve
  • Russian: реша́ть (rešátʹ) — to resolve
  • Russian: реши́ть (rešítʹ) — to resolve
  • Spanish: desatar — to resolve
  • Turkish: çözmek — to resolve
  • Dutch: loskomen — to become untied or loosed
  • Finnish: avautua — to become untied or loosed
  • French: détacher — to become untied or loosed
  • German: sich lösen — to become untied or loosed
  • Greek: λύνομαι (lýnomai) — to become untied or loosed
  • Hungarian: kikötődik — to become untied or loosed
  • Hungarian: kioldódik — to become untied or loosed
  • Hungarian: kifűződik — to become untied or loosed
  • Italian: sciogliersi — to become untied or loosed
  • Malayalam: അഴിയുക (aḻiyuka) — to become untied or loosed
  • Māori: maheno — to become untied or loosed
  • Portuguese: soltar — to become untied or loosed
  • Russian: развя́зываться (razvjázyvatʹsja) — to become untied or loosed
  • Russian: развяза́ться (razvjazátʹsja) — to become untied or loosed
  • Spanish: desatarse — to become untied or loosed
  • Tamil: அவிழ் (aviḻ) — to become untied or loosed
  • Turkish: çözülmek — to become untied or loosed
  • Welsh: datod — to become untied or loosed