1. 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 • Syn: affiliation, association, tie • Derivationally related forms: tie (for: tie), associate (for: association), affiliate (for: affiliation) • Hypernyms: relationship 2. an interruption of normal activity • Syn: stand, standstill • Derivationally related forms: tie up, stand (for: stand) • Hypernyms: stop, halt