tied
tied — adjective
1. Describes a home that comes with a job — the person living there works for the l
Describes a home that comes with a job — the person living there works for the landlord, and when the job ends the home must be given up.
The cottage was a tied house, so the farmer's family left after he retired.
attributive use: tied + house; condition of leaving when job ends
Many tied cottages in rural England still belong to the estates where people work.
Samir lost his job as groundskeeper and gave up the tied flat above the garage.
Sade's family lived in a tied cottage and moved out when her father changed jobs.
- conditional
general term for anything dependent on a condition; less specific to housing
- bonded
formal; bonded labour or bonded housing implies stronger compulsion
- freehold
describes property owned outright, not tied to employment
- independent
not dependent on a job or landlord
文法句型
tied + noun (tied cottage, tied house, tied flat)
用法筆記
This sense is historically tied to British agricultural and estate housing. In modern contexts it also appears in pub management (a tied pub) and some service-industry roles. Non-native speakers rarely need this sense actively but should recognise it in reading.
常見錯誤
2. Held or shut in place with string, cord, rope, ribbon, or laces so that the obje
Held or shut in place with string, cord, rope, ribbon, or laces so that the object cannot move or come open easily.
Heloísa wore a pretty dress with a tied ribbon around her waist.
tied + ribbon; attributive use describing an item of clothing
The parcel arrived with a tied string that was too tight to undo easily.
Christopher's hiking boots were tied securely before he started the steep trail.
The tied bundles of old newspapers were stacked in the corner of the garage.
- loose
not firmly fastened; can move freely
- untied
specifically of something that was previously tied
- unfastened
general opposite of fastened
文法句型
tied + with + noun
tied + together
tightly/loosely + tied
be + tied
用法筆記
Often used with adverbs (tightly, loosely, securely) that describe how firm the fastening is. When the fastening method is important, use tied with + material (tied with a leather cord).
常見錯誤
3. Closely connected to someone or something through strong feelings of love, frien
Closely connected to someone or something through strong feelings of love, friendship, loyalty, or shared memories.
Zayd felt deeply tied to his hometown, even after living abroad for ten years.
deeply + tied + to; emotional connection to a place
The two cousins stayed tied by their shared childhood in their grandmother's house.
tied + by + shared experience; passive-like structure
Sivan felt tied to her grandmother through recipes passed down for generations.
Caleb felt tied to his college friends by the years they spent studying together.
- detached
not emotionally involved; deliberately separate
- estranged
formerly close but now distant; stronger than detached
- disconnected
having no bond at all
文法句型
tied + to + noun/pronoun
closely/deeply/strongly + tied + to + noun
feel + tied + to + noun
用法筆記
Use tied to for emotional bonds (people, places, traditions). The cause of the bond is often introduced by by or through (tied by history, tied through shared work). Distinguish from sense 2 (physical) — if you can touch the thing that connects, sense 2 applies; if it is a feeling, sense 3 applies.
常見錯誤
4. Describes a game, match, or competition in which both sides have the same number
Describes a game, match, or competition in which both sides have the same number of points, goals, or votes.
With only five minutes left, the score was tied at two goals each.
tied + at + score; common sports-result pattern
The championship match ended tied, so both teams shared the trophy for the first time.
Élise checked the scoreboard and saw that her team was still tied with the visitors.
Megan and Dylan were tied for first place with ninety points each.
- level
common in British English; also used for non-sporting contests
- drawn
British English; a drawn match means no winner
- even
informal; 'the scores are even' is a fixed expression
- neck and neck
idiomatic; used when competitors are very close, not necessarily equal
文法句型
be + tied + at + number
be + tied + with + team/person
be + tied + for + position
用法筆記
In British English the noun form is often a draw (especially in football); in American English a tie is common for all sports. The adjective tied can describe the match itself (a tied game) or the participants (two tied teams).