Untie
ʌnˈtaɪ
Definitions
To release something that is fastened or tied.
ʌnˈtaɪ
To undo a knot or something that is tied.
He carefully untied the rope.
💡 Simply: Imagine you have a shoelace knot. Untie means to undo that knot so your shoe comes loose! Like when you're ready to take off your shoes after a long day.
👶 For kids: To make something that's tied, like a shoe or a string, loose.
More Examples
She untied the ribbon from the present.
Can you untie this knot for me?
How It's Used
"She untied the shoelaces."
"Please untie the package so we can see what's inside."
Idioms & expressions
untie the knot
To solve a difficult problem or to break a binding agreement, especially a marriage.
"They decided to untie the knot after years of unhappiness."
From Old English *untīan*, from un- (prefix meaning 'not') + tian ('to tie').
Used since the 15th century, primarily in its literal sense. The figurative use of 'untie the knot' to mean solving a difficult problem came later.
Memory tip
Think of 'un' as reversing the action of tying.
Word Origin
"to loosen or release a tied object"