Collocation
I'm tied up until 3.
To be very busy or occupied, making one unavailable for other activities or appointments.
Definition
'I'm tied up until 3.' is a common English collocation. To be very busy or occupied, making one unavailable for other activities or appointments.
be + tied up + (until [time/event] / with [activity])
“I'm tied up until 3, so I can't meet then.”
Examples
- I'm tied up all morning with meetings, so I won't be able to join the coffee break.
- He was tied up on a very important client call for over an hour and couldn't answer his other line.
- She'll be tied up with clients for most of the afternoon, so please leave a message.
Show more examples
- We were tied up preparing for the big presentation, so we completely missed lunch.
- They knew he'd be tied up with his project deadline, so they decided not to disturb him.
- Are you tied up this evening, or do you have some free time?
- The manager is usually tied up with administrative tasks on Fridays, making it hard to schedule meetings.
- Despite his best efforts, he found himself tied up in endless bureaucratic procedures for months.
- I can't make it to the party tonight; I'm tied up with some unexpected family commitments.
- Don't bother her, she's tied up at the moment finishing a critical report.
Learn this in a path
More at B2 level
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