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 of knot

Noun (1)

• cluster
• batch
• bunch
• collection
• array
• constellation
• clump
• group
• grouping
• assemblage

Verb

• tangle
• snarl

Examples of knot in a Sentence

Noun (1)

from the summit we could see knots of houses up and down the river valley

felt a small knot on the back of his head

their business partnership is strengthened by the knot of personal friendship

knots of people were quietly chatting around the meeting hall

the situation involved so many legal knots that we decided to get a lawyer

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

As for grunt, Whisper is powered by twin Caterpillar engines that give her a top speed of 16 knots and a comfortable cruising speed of 13 knots. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 17 Aug. 2026

On April 8, 2025, ANKA III also released a SÜPER ŞİMŞEK in flight at about 10,130 feet and 150 knots. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026

Verb

The home team dominated the first half with 12 shots to two for Miami, and five shots on goal to just one, but the score was knotted 1-1 at intermission. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

Throw it over a ribbed tank and linen trousers for a coffee run, wear it open as a lightweight layer with a maxi dress, knot it over a midi skirt, or drape it over your shoulders when the sun goes down. — Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 9 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for knot

• aught
• baht
• blot
• bott
• bought
• brought
• caught
• clot
• cot
• cott
• dot
• fought

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