tongue-tie

1 of 2

verb

ˈtəŋ-ˌtī How to pronounce tongue-tie (audio)
tongue-tied; tongue-tying; tongue-ties

transitive verb

: to deprive of speech or the power of distinct articulation

tongue-tie

2 of 2

noun

: a congenital defect characterized by limited mobility of the tongue due to a short frenulum

Examples of tongue-tie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Big Daniel Craig has her tongue-tied, talking like an idiot. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026 At times, Raman was tongue-tied trying to answer simple questions. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026 But on April 24, Stanford got tongue-tied when asked to explain her position on abolishing ICE. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 18 May 2026 Though the two have both covered Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Dunne says that meeting Stewart at the Super Bowl left her tongue-tied. — Julia Emmanuele, People.com, 13 July 2025 In addition, the NWA Tongue Tie Center will offer on-site evaluation and tongue-tie procedures, including frenectomy, and will work in collaboration with therapists and lactation consultants to support optimal feeding, speech and airway outcomes. — Mark Mondier, Arkansas Online, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from tongue-tied

First Known Use

Verb

1555, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tongue-tie was in 1555

Browse Nearby Words

tonguetacked
tongue-tie
tongue-tied
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tongue-tie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tongue-tie. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

tongue-tie

noun
: a congenital defect characterized by limited mobility of the tongue due to shortness of the frenulum : ankyloglossia

More from Merriam-Webster on tongue-tie

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tongue-tie

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All