What does tieback mean?
A tieback is a fastening used to keep hair or curtains from falling forward. In its most common sense, it refers to a band, ribbon, clip, or similar accessory worn in the hair, especially to secure long hair behind the head. It may also describe a decorative fabric strip or fastening attached to a curtain, allowing the curtain to be drawn neatly to one side. The word is common in both British and American English, though the hair-related sense is particularly frequent in descriptions of hairstyles and accessories. Tieback is more general than “hair tie,” which usually implies an elastic band or cord. The term is concrete and practical rather than strongly formal or informal, and it is often used with material or appearance modifiers such as “silk,” “velvet,” “gold,” or “decorative.” The phrase “tie back” can also function as a verb construction, as in “to tie back one’s hair,” but a tieback itself is a noun naming the fastening.
nounA tieback is a band, ribbon, clip, or strip of fabric used to hold hair or curtains back from the face or body.
- A band, ribbon, clip, or similar accessory used to hold hair back from the face.
- A decorative strip of fabric or fastener used to draw and secure a curtain to one side.
"She gathered her hair into a loose ponytail and secured it with a patterned tieback."
"She secured her long hair with a silk tieback."
"He drew the velvet curtains together and fastened each one with a gold tieback."
The standard plural is formed by adding -s and is written as one word.
"The shop sells velvet hair tiebacks in several colors."
From a ribbon holding hair to a strip holding a curtain, a tieback is a small fastening with a surprisingly broad range of jobs.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tieback come from?
English tieback is a compound of tie and back. Tie derives from Old English tēon, while back comes from Old English bæc; in the compound, back functions adverbially to indicate that something is fastened behind. Its present meanings develop from the basic action of holding hair or fabric back.
How tieback is actually used
Usually countable and concrete. In hair contexts, the word often denotes a clip, band, or ribbon worn to hold the hair behind the head. The open phrase “tie back” is a verb phrase rather than the compound noun.
Easily confused with tieback
A hair tie is usually an elastic band or cord used to secure a ponytail or braid, whereas a tieback more broadly denotes any accessory that holds hair behind the head or keeps it from falling forward.