Definition of "tie up" in English

Verb

1. To secure with rope, string, etc.

   • Don't forget to tie up your hair before you bake.
   • The robbers tied up the bank employees before forcing a way into the vault.

2. To occupy, detain, keep busy, or delay.

   • He has been tying up the phone lines for hours now.

3. To complete, finish, or resolve.

   • I'd like to tie up the project before I leave.

4. To immobilize a capital: make a capital investment that makes that capital unavailable.

   • Don't tie up your capital in aging accounts.