topknot

noun

top·​knot ˈtäp-ˌnät 

plural topknots

1

: an ornament (such as a knot of ribbons or a pompom) forming a headdress or worn as part of a coiffure

2

: an arrangement of hair high on the head and usually in a knot

… Mrs. Richardson could only just make out the faint silhouette of Mia's head, the messy topknot perched at the crown of her head.

—Celeste Ng

3

: a crest of feathers or tuft of hair on the top of the head

Examples of topknot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Len-Jinn Liang, of Canada, with his hair in a topknot, washed the feet and kneaded the legs of his recipient. —Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

One was naked, with broad horizontal strokes of white ash smudged across his forehead and a large enamel pin in his topknot. —Amie Barrodale, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025

The look was tied together with Jackson’s hair pulled into a topknot with a natural makeup look. —Rachel Flynn, People.com, 27 May 2025

Jackson arrived at the show in a beauty look that took inspiration from Vivienne Westwood’s spring 2012 show where models stepped out with vibrant yellow and pink-painted eyelids and topknot hairstyles. —Marissa Muller, WWD, 8 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for topknot

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

Kids Definition

topknot

noun

top·​knot ˈtäp-ˌnät 

: a tuft of feathers or hair on the top of the head