tidy
verb/ˈtaɪdi/
/ˈtaɪdi/
[intransitive, transitive] (especially British English)Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they tidy | /ˈtaɪdi/ /ˈtaɪdi/ |
| he / she / it tidies | /ˈtaɪdiz/ /ˈtaɪdiz/ |
| past simple tidied | /ˈtaɪdid/ /ˈtaɪdid/ |
| past participle tidied | /ˈtaɪdid/ /ˈtaɪdid/ |
| -ing form tidying | /ˈtaɪdiɪŋ/ /ˈtaɪdiɪŋ/ |
- to make something look neat by putting things in the place where they belong
- I spent all morning cleaning and tidying.
- tidy something to tidy a room
- I've tidied the bedroom and the bathroom.
Extra Examples- He spent a few minutes tidying his desk.
- I've been tidying my room.
Word OriginMiddle English: from the noun tide + -y. The original meaning was ‘timely, opportune’; it later had various senses expressing approval, usually of a person, including ‘attractive’, ‘healthy’, and ‘skilful’; the sense ‘orderly, neat’ dates from the early 18th cent.Want to learn more?
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tidy