Tie vs. Bind — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Urooj Arif — Updated on April 24, 2024
Tie refers to forming a knot or loop, commonly with rope or string to secure items; bind involves wrapping or securing tightly, often implying a more restrictive or permanent fastening.
Difference Between Tie and Bind
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Key Differences
Tie generally involves creating knots or loops with flexible materials like string or rope, used to fasten or secure items together temporarily. Whereas, bind often refers to the process of wrapping or fastening something tightly with materials such as tape, string, or straps, typically with the intent of preventing movement or escape.
Tie is frequently used in everyday tasks such as tying shoelaces, neckties, or bows, highlighting its utility in fashion and daily wear. On the other hand, bind is more common in contexts requiring secure fastening, like binding books, or in medical applications like binding a wound.
In a metaphorical sense, tie can denote forming connections or relationships, as in "ties of friendship." Conversely, bind might suggest an obligation or duty that restricts freedom, as in "bound by duty."
Tie can also refer to finishing a competition with identical scores or results, indicating a draw. In contrast, bind does not carry this connotation and is not used in the context of competitions.
The ease of untying is a characteristic of 'tie', suggesting a temporary and easily reversible action. Whereas 'bind' implies a more permanent, difficult to reverse method of fastening, often used where security is a concern.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Making a knot or loop
Wrapping or securing tightly
Common Uses
Shoelaces, ties, bows
Books, wounds, legal obligations
Metaphorical Meaning
Connections, relationships
Obligations, restrictions
Reversibility
Easily untied
Often permanent and secure
Contexts
Daily wear, competitions
Medical, legal, security
Compare with Definitions
Tie
To fasten or secure with a rope, cord, or other material.
She learned to tie a knot in her shoelaces.
Bind
To tie or secure tightly with a band or cord.
She used a bandage to bind the wound.
Tie
A necktie or bow tie worn as part of formal attire.
He wore a silk tie to the interview.
Bind
To restrict someone's movement or freedom.
The ropes were used to bind the prisoner's hands.
Tie
A connection or association.
They maintained strong family ties.
Bind
To impose legal obligations.
The contract binds him to complete the work by Friday.
Tie
To restrict or limit freedom with a moral or legal obligation.
He felt tied to his hometown due to family commitments.
Bind
To unite or hold together.
The agreement binds the parties together.
Tie
To finish a competition with equal scores.
The game ended in a tie.
Bind
A difficult situation or dilemma.
She found herself in a bind when her car broke down.
Tie
Attach or fasten with string or similar cord
Her long hair was tied back in a bow
Gabriel tied up his horse
They tied Max to a chair
Bind
To tie or secure, as with a rope or cord.
Tie
Restrict or limit (someone) to a particular situation or place
She didn't want to be like her mother, tied to a feckless man
She didn't want to be tied down by a full-time job
Bind
To hold or restrain by tying with rope or bonds
Bound the prisoner.
Tie
Connect; link
Self-respect is closely tied up with the esteem in which one is held by one's fellows
Bind
To fasten or wrap by encircling, as with a belt or ribbon
A dress bound with a sash.
Tie
Achieve the same score or ranking as another competitor or team
Norman needed a par to tie with Nicklaus
Muir tied the score at 5–5
Bind
To bandage
Bound up their wounds.
Tie
A piece of string, cord, or similar used for fastening or tying something
He tightened the tie of his robe
Bind
To compel, constrain, or unite
Bound by a deep sense of duty.
Bound by a common interest in sports.
Tie
A rod or beam holding parts of a structure together.
Bind
To make certain or irrevocable
Bind the deal with a down payment.
Tie
A thing that unites or links people
It is important that we keep family ties strong
Bind
(Law) To place under legal obligation.
Tie
A strip of material worn round the collar and tied in a knot at the front with the ends hanging down, typically forming part of a man's smart or formal outfit
His hand went up to his collar and started to loosen his tie
Bind
To apprentice or indenture
Was bound out as a servant.
Tie
A result in a game or other competitive situation in which two or more competitors or teams have the same score or ranking; a draw
There was a tie for first place
Bind
(Chemistry) To combine with, form a chemical bond with, or be taken up by, as an enzyme with its substrate.
Tie
A sports match between two or more players or teams in which the winners proceed to the next round of the competition
Swindon Town have won themselves a third round tie against Oldham
Bind
To cause to cohere or stick together in a mass
Bind the dry ingredients with milk and eggs.
Tie
To fasten or secure with or as if with a cord, rope, or strap
Tied the kite to a post.
Tie up a bundle.
Bind
To constipate.
Tie
To fasten by drawing together the parts or sides and knotting with strings or laces
Tied her shoes.
Bind
To enclose and fasten (the pages of a book or other printed material) between covers.
Tie
To make by fastening ends or parts
Tie a knot.
Bind
To furnish with an edge or border for protection, reinforcement, or ornamentation.
Tie
To put a knot or bow in
Tie a neck scarf.
Bind
To tie up or fasten something.
Tie
To confine or restrict as if with cord
Duties that tied him to the office.
Bind
To stick or become stuck
Applied a lubricant to keep the moving parts from binding.
Tie
To equal (an opponent or an opponent's score) in a contest.
Bind
To be uncomfortably tight or restricting, as clothes.
Tie
To equal an opponent's score in (a contest)
Tied the game with minutes remaining.
Bind
To become compact or solid; cohere.
Tie
(Music)To join (notes) by a tie.
Bind
To be compelling, constraining, or unifying
Moved to her home town because of the ties that bind.
Tie
To be fastened or attached
The apron ties at the back.
Bind
(Chemistry) To combine chemically or form a chemical bond.
Tie
To achieve equal scores in a contest.
Bind
The act of binding.
Tie
A cord, string, or other means by which something is tied.
Bind
The state of being bound.
Tie
A necktie.
Bind
Something that binds.
Tie
A beam or rod that joins parts and gives support.
Bind
A place where something binds
A bind halfway up the seam of the skirt.
Tie
One of the timbers or slabs of concrete laid across a railroad bed to support the rails.
Bind
(Informal) A difficult, restrictive, or unresolvable situation
Found themselves in a bind when their car broke down.
Tie
An equality of scores, votes, or performance in a contest
The election ended in a tie.
Bind
(Music) A tie, slur, or brace.
Tie
A contest so resulting; a draw.
Bind
(intransitive) To tie; to confine by any ligature.
Tie
(Music)A curved line above or below two notes of the same pitch, indicating that the tone is to be sustained for their combined duration.
Bind
(intransitive) To cohere or stick together in a mass.
Just to make the cheese more binding
Tie
A knot; a fastening.
Bind
(intransitive) To be restrained from motion, or from customary or natural action, as by friction.
I wish I knew why the sewing machine binds up after I use it for a while.
Tie
A knot of hair, as at the back of a wig.
Bind
(intransitive) To exert a binding or restraining influence.
These are the ties that bind.
Tie
A necktie (item of clothing consisting of a strip of cloth tied around the neck). See also bow tie, black tie.
Bind
(transitive) To tie or fasten tightly together, with a cord, band, ligature, chain, etc.
To bind grain in bundles
To bind a prisoner
Tie
A twist tie, a piece of wire embedded in paper, strip of plastic with ratchets, or similar object which is wound around something and tightened.
Bind
(transitive) To confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any kind.
Gravity binds the planets to the sun.
Frost binds the earth.
Tie
A strong connection between people or groups of people.
The sacred ties of friendship or of duty
The ties of allegiance
Bind
(transitive) To couple.
Tie
(construction) A structural member firmly holding two pieces together.
Ties work to maintain structural integrity in windstorms and earthquakes.
Bind
(figuratively) To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty, promise, vow, affection, or other social tie.
To bind the conscience
To bind by kindness
Bound by affection
Commerce binds nations to each other
Tie
A horizontal wooden or concrete structural member that supports and ties together rails.
Bind
(law) To put (a person) under definite legal obligations, especially, under the obligation of a bond or covenant.
Tie
The situation in which two or more participants in a competition are placed equally.
It's two outs in the bottom of the ninth, tie score.
Bind
(law) To place under legal obligation to serve.
To bind an apprentice
Bound out to service
Tie
(cricket) The situation at the end of all innings of a match where both sides have the same total of runs (different from a draw).
Bind
(transitive) To protect or strengthen by applying a band or binding, as the edge of a carpet or garment.
Tie
An equalizer, a run, goal, point, etc which causes participants in a competition to be placed equally or have the same score(s).
Bind
To make fast (a thing) about or upon something, as by tying; to encircle with something.
To bind a belt about one
To bind a compress upon a wound
Tie
A meeting between two players or teams in a competition.
The FA Cup third round tie between Liverpool and Cardiff was their first meeting in the competition since 1957.
Bind
(transitive) To cover, as with a bandage.
To bind up a wound
Tie
(music) A curved line connecting two notes of the same pitch denoting that they should be played as a single note with the combined length of both notes.
Bind
To prevent or restrain from customary or natural action, as by producing constipation.
Certain drugs bind the bowels.
Tie
(statistics) One or more equal values or sets of equal values in the data set.
Bind
(transitive) To put together in a cover, as of books.
The three novels were bound together.
Tie
(surveying) A bearing and distance between a lot corner or point and a benchmark or iron off site.
Bind
To make two or more elements stick together.
Tie
(graph theory) A connection between two vertices.
Bind
To associate an identifier with a value; to associate a variable name, method name, etc. with the content of a storage location.
Tie
A tiewig.
Bind
To process one or more object modules into an executable program.
Tie
(transitive) To twist (a string, rope, or the like) around itself securely.
Tie this rope in a knot for me, please.
Tie the rope to this tree.
Bind
To complain; to whine about something.
Tie
(transitive) To form (a knot or the like) in a string or the like.
Tie a knot in this rope for me, please.
Bind
To wear a binder so as to flatten one's chest to give the appearance of a flat chest, usually done by trans men.
I haven't binded since I got my top surgery.
I hear binder tech has improved since I last bound.
Tie
(transitive) To attach or fasten (one thing to another) by string or the like.
Tie him to the tree.
Bind
That which binds or ties.
Tie
To secure (something) by string or the like.
Tie your shoes.
Bind
A troublesome situation; a problem; a predicament or quandary.
Tie
(ambitransitive) To have the same score or position as another in a competition or ordering.
They tied for third place.
They tied the game.
Bind
Any twining or climbing plant or stem, especially a hop vine; a bine.
Tie
To have the same score or position as (another) in a competition or ordering.
He tied me for third place.
Bind
(music) A ligature or tie for grouping notes.
Tie
(music) To unite (musical notes) with a line or slur in the notation.
Bind
(chess) A strong grip or stranglehold on a position, which is difficult for the opponent to break.
The Maróczy Bind
Tie
To believe; to credit.
Bind
The indurated clay of coal mines.
Tie
In the Perl programming language, to extend (a variable) so that standard operations performed upon it invoke custom functionality instead.
Bind
To tie, or confine with a cord, band, ligature, chain, etc.; to fetter; to make fast; as, to bind grain in bundles; to bind a prisoner.
Tie
A knot; a fastening.
Bind
To confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any kind; as, attraction binds the planets to the sun; frost binds the earth, or the streams.
He bindeth the floods from overflowing.
Whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years.
Tie
A knot of hair, as at the back of a wig.
Bind
To cover, as with a bandage; to bandage or dress; - sometimes with up; as, to bind up a wound.
Tie
An equality in numbers, as of votes, scores, etc., which prevents either party from being victorious; equality in any contest, as a race.
Bind
To make fast ( a thing) about or upon something, as by tying; to encircle with something; as, to bind a belt about one; to bind a compress upon a part.
Tie
A beam or rod for holding two parts together; in railways, one of the transverse timbers which support the track and keep it in place.
Bind
To prevent or restrain from customary or natural action; as, certain drugs bind the bowels.
Tie
A line, usually straight, drawn across the stems of notes, or a curved line written over or under the notes, signifying that they are to be slurred, or closely united in the performance, or that two notes of the same pitch are to be sounded as one; a bind; a ligature.
Bind
To protect or strengthen by a band or binding, as the edge of a carpet or garment.
Tie
Low shoes fastened with lacings.
Bind
To sew or fasten together, and inclose in a cover; as, to bind a book.
Tie
To fasten with a band or cord and knot; to bind.
My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
Bind
Fig.: To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty, promise, vow, affection, or other moral tie; as, to bind the conscience; to bind by kindness; bound by affection; commerce binds nations to each other.
Who made our laws to bind us, not himself.
Tie
To form, as a knot, by interlacing or complicating a cord; also, to interlace, or form a knot in; as, to tie a cord to a tree; to knit; to knot.
Bind
To bring (any one) under definite legal obligations; esp. under the obligation of a bond or covenant.
Tie
To unite firmly; to fasten; to hold.
In bond of virtuous love together tied.
Bind
To tie; to confine by any ligature.
They that reap must sheaf and bind.
Tie
To hold or constrain by authority or moral influence, as by knotted cords; to oblige; to constrain; to restrain; to confine.
Not tied to rules of policy, you findRevenge less sweet than a forgiving mind.
Bind
To contract; to grow hard or stiff; to cohere or stick together in a mass; as, clay binds by heat.
Tie
To unite, as notes, by a cross line, or by a curved line, or slur, drawn over or under them.
Bind
To be restrained from motion, or from customary or natural action, as by friction.
Tie
To make an equal score with, in a contest; to be even with.
Bind
To exert a binding or restraining influence.
Tie
To make a tie; to make an equal score.
Bind
That which binds or ties.
Tie
Neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front;
He stood in front of the mirror tightening his necktie
He wore a vest and tie
Bind
Any twining or climbing plant or stem, esp. a hop vine; a bine.
Tie
A social or business relationship;
A valuable financial affiliation
He was sorry he had to sever his ties with other members of the team
Many close associations with England
Bind
Indurated clay, when much mixed with the oxide of iron.
Tie
The finish of a contest in which the score is tied and the winner is undecided;
The game ended in a draw
Their record was 3 wins, 6 losses and a tie
Bind
A ligature or tie for grouping notes.
Tie
A horizontal beam used to prevent two other structural members from spreading apart or separating;
He nailed the rafters together with a tie beam
Bind
Something that hinders as if with bonds
Tie
A fastener that serves to join or link;
The walls are held together with metal links placed in the wet mortar during construction
Bind
Stick to firmly;
Will this wallpaper adhere to the wall?
Tie
Equality of score in a contest
Bind
Create social or emotional ties;
The grandparents want to bond with the child
Tie
(music) a slur over two notes of the same pitch; indicates that the note is to be sustained for their combined time value
Bind
Make fast; tie or secure, with or as if with a rope;
The Chinese would bind the feet of their women
Tie
One of the cross braces that support the rails on a railway track;
The British call a railroad tie a sleeper
Bind
Wrap around with something so as to cover or enclose
Tie
A cord (or string or ribbon or wire etc.) with which something is tied;
He needed a tie for the packages
Bind
Secure with or as if with ropes;
Tie down the prisoners
Tie up the old newspapes and bring them to the recycling shed
Tie
Fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord;
They tied their victim to the chair
Bind
Bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted;
He's held by a contract
I'll hold you by your promise
Tie
Finish a game with an equal number of points, goals, etc.;
The teams drew a tie
Bind
Form a chemical bond with;
The hydrogen binds the oxygen
Tie
Limit or restrict to;
I am tied to UNIX
These big jets are tied to large airports
Bind
Provide with a binding;
Bind the books in leather
Tie
Connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces;
Can you connect the two loudspeakers?
Tie the ropes together
Link arms
Bind
Fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord;
They tied their victim to the chair
Tie
Form a knot or bow in;
Tie a necktie
Bind
Cause to be constipated;
These foods tend to constipate you
Tie
Create social or emotional ties;
The grandparents want to bond with the child
Tie
Perform a marriage ceremony;
The minister married us on Saturday
We were wed the following week
The couple got spliced on Hawaii
Tie
Make by tying pieces together;
The fishermen tied their flies
Tie
Unite musical notes by a tie
Common Curiosities
What materials are typically used to tie?
Ropes, strings, and cords are common for tying.
Can bind be used in a positive context?
Yes, in contexts like binding agreements that protect interests.
What are examples of binding in a medical context?
Using bandages to bind a wound or splints to bind a broken limb.
Can both terms be used metaphorically?
Yes, both can describe relationships or obligations, though in different contexts.
How does the permanence of binding affect its usage?
It makes bind suitable for situations requiring security or long-term commitments.
Are there tools specifically used for tying or binding?
Yes, tools like tie guns for cables and binding machines for paper are used.
Is a tie always reversible?
Generally, yes, ties are designed to be undone easily.
What does it mean when a game ends in a tie?
It means both teams or players finished with the same score, resulting in a draw.
Which is more common in legal terms, tie or bind?
Bind is more common, relating to legal obligations and contracts.
What's the difference between tying a knot and binding a knot?
Tying is generally simpler and less permanent than binding.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
