1
as in clusters
a number of things considered as a unit
from the summit we could see knots of houses up and down the river valley
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in swellings
a small rounded mass of swollen tissue
felt a small knot on the back of his head
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in links
a uniting or binding force or influence
their business partnership is strengthened by the knot of personal friendship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in groupings
a usually small number of persons considered as a unit
knots of people were quietly chatting around the meeting hall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in problems
something that requires thought and skill for resolution
the situation involved so many legal knots that we decided to get a lawyer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tangles
to twist together into a usually confused mass
the extension cords were hopelessly knotted together
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knots
Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
Brilliant knots of newborn stars, dark rivers of dust and glowing cavities carved by stellar winds combine to create a vivid portrait of galaxies in constant motion.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 11 May 2026
Arsenal and Mikel Arteta made incredibly hard work of their trip to West Ham, where Arteta’s substitutions and game management tied his team in knots.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 11 May 2026
As for performance, Orion One is powered by twin Caterpillar engines that give it a cruising speed of 12 knots, a top speed of 15 knots, and a range of 1,500 nautical miles.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 11 May 2026
According to the Aviation Herald, pilots aborted takeoff when the aircraft was traveling at 120 knots, or nearly 140 mph.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
Aether enthusiasts contorted themselves in knots attempting to explain this null result while still saving the notion of the aether itself.
—Big Think, 7 May 2026
The ship was also envisaged to be very nimble, with a potential top speed of 42 knots; an ambitious design indeed.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
On April 10, Hungarian native and student Sara Uzonyi boarded a plane to take her from the Netherlands back to Budapest, her stomach in knots.
—Alexandra Levy, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Jon Duffy, Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2025
Stories like these usually lurch from one contrivance and complication to the next, but Chad Powers knots itself into a genuinely thorny conflict by the finale.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
Caught in the web’s knots are pages of diaries from Japanese soldiers and German citizens during World War II.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
Brilliant knots of newborn stars, dark rivers of dust and glowing cavities carved by stellar winds combine to create a vivid portrait of galaxies in constant motion.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 11 May 2026
Arsenal and Mikel Arteta made incredibly hard work of their trip to West Ham, where Arteta’s substitutions and game management tied his team in knots.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 11 May 2026
As for performance, Orion One is powered by twin Caterpillar engines that give it a cruising speed of 12 knots, a top speed of 15 knots, and a range of 1,500 nautical miles.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 11 May 2026
According to the Aviation Herald, pilots aborted takeoff when the aircraft was traveling at 120 knots, or nearly 140 mph.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
Aether enthusiasts contorted themselves in knots attempting to explain this null result while still saving the notion of the aether itself.
—Big Think, 7 May 2026
The ship was also envisaged to be very nimble, with a potential top speed of 42 knots; an ambitious design indeed.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
On April 10, Hungarian native and student Sara Uzonyi boarded a plane to take her from the Netherlands back to Budapest, her stomach in knots.
—Alexandra Levy, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Verb
No matter how many knots a lawyer ties themselves in to get there, legality is not legitimacy.
—Jon Duffy, Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2025
Stories like these usually lurch from one contrivance and complication to the next, but Chad Powers knots itself into a genuinely thorny conflict by the finale.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knots
Noun
-
Along its spiral arms, bright orange pockets mark areas where new star clusters are forming, carving out glowing bubbles in the surrounding material.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
-
Lion’s ear produce clusters of fuzzy orange flowers that give the plant its common name.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Infection is rapid, causing swellings in the lymph nodes (buboes) and leading to septicaemia and pulmonary infection.—
Matthew Binnicker,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
As the Taurus Sun links with Jupiter in your 10th House of Career, commitments and long-range goals gain support.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
-
Take control of your money with CNBC Select CNBC Select is editorially independent and may earn a commission from affiliate partners on links.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
To prevent mealybug infestations, allow airflow between plant groupings and keep infected plants away from healthy ones.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
14 May 2026
-
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Here’s one of several places where Footer’s biography runs into problems.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
-
After throwing three innings for Triple-A Sugar Land last week, Imai indicated a difference in major-league scouting reports contributed to his problems.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Wire pin or slicker brushes work best for dogs with long hair that tangles easily.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Since pharmaceutical companies typically make drugs and therapies in batches and plan those batches months in advance, some companies may not be able to increase estrogen patch production for a few months, Ganio said.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
-
At present, the team has only managed to showcase the catalyst under laboratory conditions in small batches.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The one exception is cocoa powder; those lumps need to be broken up.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
10 May 2026
-
The Huskies, after winning the Big East championship and playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 years, took some losses in the transfer portal and took their lumps in the early season southern and western swings, losing 10 of their first 12 games.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knots. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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