tied up

Meanings

1. 1phraseafter a verbinformal

   Busy with something and so not free to do anything else for a while.

   Grammar: Follows be: I'm tied up all morning, not a noun phrase.

   Patterns

   • be tied up with something
   • be tied up in something

   I can't talk now; I'm tied up in meetings until noon.

   The printer is tied up with a huge print job.

   Sorry I missed your call, I was tied up with the kids all evening.

2. 2phraseafter a verb

   Fastened or held in place with rope, string or a similar cord so that movement is not possible.

   Grammar: Often passive: the boat was tied up at the dock.

   Patterns

   • be tied up with something
   • tied up to something

   The robbers left the guard tied up in a closet.

   The boat was tied up at the pier for the night.

   The package arrived tied up with brown string.

3. 3phraseafter a verbbusiness

   Unavailable for other use because money, resources or time are already committed to something.

   Grammar: Used with in or with: his money is tied up in property.

   Patterns

   • be tied up in something

   Most of her savings are tied up in a house she can't sell.

   The funds will stay tied up in court until the dispute ends.

   Half of the company's cash is tied up in unsold stock.

Common combinations

tied up in meetings

The director is tied up in meetings all week.

tied up at the moment

I'm a little tied up at the moment; can I call you back?

tied up with work

He's been tied up with work and hasn't seen friends for weeks.

money tied up in

Her money is tied up in a long-term bond.

tied up and gagged

The hostage was found tied up and gagged in the cellar.

Synonyms and how they differ

busy

Busy is neutral and simply means having much to do, while tied up suggests you cannot be interrupted or reached.

occupied

Occupied is more formal and can describe a seat or room, whereas tied up for being busy applies to people and their time.

bound

Bound is the literal word for being fastened and sounds more formal or literary than tied up.

swamped

Swamped suggests being overwhelmed by too much work, while tied up only says you are unavailable.

Opposites

Word family

tie verb

to fasten with a cord or knot

tie-up noun

a link or a stoppage, such as a traffic jam

untie verb

to undo a knot

tie up phrasal verb

to bind, or to occupy something so it cannot be used

Commonly confused: tied up or tied down?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tied up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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