knot

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈnät 

1

a

: an interlacement of the parts of one or more flexible bodies forming a lump or knob (as for fastening or tying together)

b

: the lump or knob so formed

c

: a tight constriction or the sense of constriction

my stomach was all in knots

2

: something hard to solve : problem

a matter full of legal knots

3

: a bond of union

especially : the marriage bond

4

a

: a protuberant lump or swelling in tissue

a knot in a gland

b

: the base of a woody branch enclosed in the stem from which it arises

also : its section in lumber

5

: a cluster of persons or things : group

6

: an ornamental bow of ribbon : cockade

7

a

: a division of the log's line serving to measure a ship's speed

b(1)

: one nautical mile per hour

(2)

: one nautical mile

—not used technically

8

: a closed curve in three-dimensional space

Illustration of knot

• 1 Blackwall hitch
• 2 carrick bend
• 3 clove hitch
• 4 cat's-paw
• 5 figure eight
• 6 granny knot
• 7 bowline
• 8 overhand knot
• 9 fisherman's bend
• 10 half hitch
• 11 square knot
• 12 slipknot
• 13 stevedore knot
• 14 true lover's knot
• 15 surgeon's knot
• 16 Turk's head
• 17 sheet bend
• 18 timber hitch
• 19 seizing
• 20 rolling hitch
• 21 sheepshank

knot

2 of 3

verb

knotted; knotting

transitive verb

1

: to tie in or with a knot : form knots in

2

: to unite closely or intricately : entangle

3

: tie sense 4b

knotted the score

intransitive verb

: to form knots

knotter noun

knot

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural knots or knot

: either of two sandpipers (Calidris canutus and C. tenuirostris) that breed in the Arctic and winter in temperate or warm parts of the New and Old World

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• array
• assemblage
• band
• bank
• batch
• battery
• block
• bunch
• clot
• clump
• cluster
• clutch
• collection
• constellation
• group
• grouping
• huddle
• lot
• muster
• package
• parcel
• passel
• set
• suite

Verb

• entangle
• interlace
• intertwine
• intertwist
• interweave
• snarl
• tangle

Examples of knot in a Sentence

Verb

He knotted his tie so that both ends would be the same length.

the extension cords were hopelessly knotted together

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After tying the knot in April 2018, the couple welcomed daughters Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, born on Feb. 23, 2023. —Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024

The 101-footer, which is currently undergoing final sea trials, will be capable of hitting a blistering 59 knots and can welcome up to 10 guests. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024

But the show can’t quite elevate the former group above pure sociopathy, and never fully untangles the knot that the latter group has tangled itself up in. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2024

Dressed in a shredded plaid outfit, her blond hair twisted into a pair of knots atop her head, the 54-year-old frontwoman was addressing the gigantic crowd gathered before the festival’s main stage for just that purpose. —Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024

Rodriguez tied the knot with model Grace Gail in 2016. —Danny Horn, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2024

In Bluey: The Sign, Uncle Rad (voiced by Patrick Brammall) will tie the knot with his girlfriend, Aunt Brady (Rose Byrne). —Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2024

After a decade of dating, the pair secretly tied the knot on Oct. 5, 2019, in an intimate ceremony in New York surrounded by friends, family and their two kids. —Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

The couple started dating in 2008 and tied the knot during a wedding special in 2015. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024

Verb

The singer and guitarist Ezra Koenig wore khakis and sometimes loosely knotted a sweater around his shoulders, a look that everyone knows is the unofficial uniform of rich, scummy boyfriends in high-school movies. —Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Air Force huffed and puffed its way to a 58-55 lead with 3:04 left when the Rams’ Jalen Lake drained a triple from the right wing, dropping through after a high doink off the rim and a hometown bounce to knot the score. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2024

With the game knotted at 39-39, a momentum-shifting moment occurred early in the third quarter. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024

Cleveland point guard Darius Garland converted the resulting technical free throw to knot the score up at 97 and send the game into OT. —Sam Joseph, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024

Pitts stepped up to the line with the score tied at 57 but missed both shots and then Noah Kim’s shot gave Canyon the lead before Pitts knotted the game at 59-59. —David Delgado, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2024

This style is just two separate sections of your hair being knotted the old-fashioned way. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2024

Ponder started the contest with back-to-back 3-pointers but three consecutive field goals from Holliday knotted things up, and both teams were tied at 15 as the first quarter ended. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024

The movies all showcase mothers and sons; many of them seek to untangle relationships knotted and gnarled by neediness, selfishness or cruelty. —Mark Harris Keita Morimoto, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English cnotta; akin to Old High German knoto knot

Noun (2)

Middle English knott

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1547, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing knot

• cut the Gordian knot
• Gordian knot
• granny knot
• half-knot
• knot garden
• knot theory
• love knot
• overhand knot
• reef knot
• root knot
• root-knot nematode
• running knot
• shoulder knot
• single knot
• square knot
• stevedore knot
• stopper knot
• surgeon's knot
• sword knot
• tie the knot
• true lover's knot
• weaver's knot
• Windsor knot

Kids Definition

knot

1 of 2 noun

ˈnät 

1

: an interlacing (as of string or ribbon) that forms a lump or knob

2

: something hard to solve : problem

3

: a bond of union

especially : the marriage bond

4

a

: a lump or swelling in bodily tissue

b

: the base of a woody branch enclosed in the stem from which it arises

also : a section of a knot in lumber

5

: a cluster of persons or things

6

: one nautical mile per hour

knot

2 of 2 verb

knotted; knotting

1

: to tie in or with a knot

2

: to unite closely

Medical Definition

knot

noun

ˈnät 

1

: an interlacing of the parts of one or more flexible bodies (as threads or sutures) in a lump to prevent their spontaneous separation see surgeon's knot

2

: a usually firm or hard lump, swelling, or protuberance (as in a muscle or on the surface of a bone) or process

a knot in a gland

a bone with two or three knots

knot verb

knotted; knotting