knot

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈnät

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

: the lump or knob so formed

: a tight constriction or the sense of constriction

my stomach was all in knots

: something hard to solve : problem

a matter full of legal knots

: a bond of union

especially : the marriage bond

: a protuberant lump or swelling in tissue

a knot in a gland

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

also : its section in lumber

: a cluster of persons or things : group

: an ornamental bow of ribbon : cockade

: 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

: 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

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

: to unite closely or intricately : entangle

: 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

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

That same year, the actor tied the knot with model Leslie Allen; the pair welcomed sons Nicholas in 1970 and Ben in 1973 before divorcing in 1982. —

Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 5 May 2024 The tool offers flexible bristles to help prevent breakage and easily rid the hair of knots without pulling or snagging. —

Kayla Greaves, Vogue, 3 May 2024 Dibble, unable to untie the knots, used a key to rip a hole in the bag to provide oxygen to the bunnies, according to the sheriff's office. —

Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2024 Powered by three 400 hp Mercury V10 outboards, the 1200 is capable of a top speed of 55 knots, or 63.2 mph. —

Chloe Braithwaite, Robb Report, 2 May 2024 The couple is planning to tie the knot Oct. 19 in Tuscany. —

Richard Dunn, Orange County Register, 2 May 2024 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

Verb

Five scoreless innings of relief from Ryan Walker, Erik Miller, Taylor Rogers, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval ensured that Bailey’s fifth-inning homer stood up as the decisive blow after Kyle Harrison completed only four innings and left the game knotted at 3. —

Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024 Garcia’s spectacular shot came after the Aggies outscored Houston 17-5 to end regulation, knotting it up at 86-86. —

Ben Morse, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024 Grab a plastic child-safe tapestry needle and thread it with colored yarn, knotting the end to secure it. —

Nicole Harris, Parents, 20 Mar. 2024 With the score knotted at 59-all in the final seconds of a back-and-forth regulation, a flurry of Watkins attacks was thwarted by UCLA stalwart center Lauren Betts and forward Angela Dugalic and Bruins guard Londynn Jones streaked to the rim for what could have been a game-closing layup. —

Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 9 Mar. 2024 The Roos battled back in the second half, knotting it at 66-all on Jeff Ngandu’s slam-dunk. —

Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2024 Sears took a 2-0 lead with a takedown 14 seconds into the match, but Williams rallied for a 3-2 lead before Sears knotted it with an escape with two seconds left in the first period. —

Craig J. Clary, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024 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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of knot was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Knot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knot. Accessed 9 May. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

knot

1 of 2 noun

ˈnät

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

: something hard to solve : problem

: a bond of union

especially : the marriage bond

: a lump or swelling in bodily tissue

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

also : a section of a knot in lumber

: a cluster of persons or things

: one nautical mile per hour

knot

2 of 2 verb

knotted; knotting

: to tie in or with a knot

: to unite closely

Medical Definition

knot

noun

ˈnät

: 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

: 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

Last Updated: 9 May 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

grudging

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

knot

noun (1)

Illustration of knot

verb

noun (2)

Synonyms

Examples of knot in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near knot

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition