knot

1
[ not ]
See synonyms for knot on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an interlacing, twining, looping, etc., of a cord, rope, or the like, drawn tight into a knob or lump, for fastening, binding, or connecting two cords together or a cord to something else.

  2. a piece of ribbon or similar material tied or folded upon itself and used or worn as an ornament.

  1. a group or cluster of persons or things: a knot of spectators.

  2. the hard, cross-grained mass of wood at the place where a branch joins the trunk of a tree.

  3. a part of this mass showing in a piece of lumber, wood panel, etc.

  4. Anatomy, Zoology. a protuberance or swelling on or in a part or process, as in a muscle.

  5. a protuberance in the tissue of a plant; an excrescence on a stem, branch, or root; a node or joint in a stem, especially when of swollen form.

  6. any of various fungal diseases of trees characterized by the formation of an excrescence, knob, or gnarl.

  7. an involved, intricate, or difficult matter; complicated problem.

  8. Nautical.

    • a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.15 statute miles per hour.

    • a unit of 47 feet 3 inches (13.79 meters) on a logline, marked off by knots.

    • a nautical mile.

  9. a bond or tie: the knot of matrimony.

  10. Also called joint, node .Mathematics. in interpolation, one of the points at which the values of a function are assigned.

verb (used with object),knot·ted, knot·ting.
  1. to tie in a knot; form a knot in.

  2. to secure or fasten by a knot.

  1. to form protuberances, bosses, or knobs in; make knotty.

verb (used without object),knot·ted, knot·ting.
  1. to become tied or tangled in a knot.

  2. to form knots or joints.

Idioms about knot

  1. tie the knot, Informal. to marry: They will tie the knot in November.

Origin of knot

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun knot(t)e, cnotte, cnot(e), Old English cnotta; cognate with Dutch knot, German knoten “to knit”; the verb is derivative of the noun

Other words for knot

Other words from knot

  • knot·less, adjective
  • knot·like, adjective

Words that may be confused with knot

Other definitions for knot (2 of 2)

knot2
[ not ]

noun
  1. either of two large sandpipers, Calidris canutus or C. tenuirostris, that breed in the Arctic and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

Origin of knot

2
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; origin unknown

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use knot in a sentence

  • He rested his elbows on his knees, and began to tie knot after knot in a piece of string.

    Tell England | Ernest Raymond
  • You used to pile surprise upon surprise, and tie knot after knot in your complications.

    The Fiction Factory | John Milton Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for knot (1 of 2)

knot1

/ (nɒt) /


noun
  1. any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a piece of rope, cord, etc, in upon itself, to another piece of rope, or to another object

  2. a prescribed method of tying a particular knot

  1. a tangle, as in hair or string

  2. a decorative bow or fastening, as of ribbon or braid

  3. a small cluster or huddled group

  4. a tie or bond: the marriage knot

  5. a difficult problem

  6. a protuberance or lump of plant tissues, such as that occurring on the trunks of certain trees

    • a hard mass of wood at the point where a branch joins the trunk of a tree

    • a cross section of this, usually roundish and cross-grained, visible in a piece of timber

  7. a sensation of constriction, caused by tension or nervousness: his stomach was tying itself in knots

    • pathol a lump of vessels or fibres formed in a part, as in a muscle

    • anatomy a protuberance on an organ or part

  8. a unit of speed used by nautical vessels and aircraft, being one nautical mile (about 1.15 statute miles or 1.85 km) per hour

  9. one of a number of equally spaced knots on a log line used to indicate the speed of a ship in nautical miles per hour

  10. at a rate of knots very fast

  11. tie someone in knots to completely perplex or confuse someone

  12. tie the knot informal to get married

verbknots, knotting or knotted
  1. (tr) to tie or fasten in a knot

  2. to form or cause to form into a knot

  1. (tr) to ravel or entangle or become ravelled or entangled

  2. (tr) to make (an article or a design) by tying thread in an interlaced pattern of ornamental knots, as in macramé

Origin of knot

1
Old English cnotta; related to Old High German knoto, Old Norse knūtr

Derived forms of knot

  • knotter, noun
  • knotless, adjective
  • knotlike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for knot (2 of 2)

knot2

/ (nɒt) /


noun
  1. a small northern sandpiper, Calidris canutus, with a short bill and grey plumage

Origin of knot

2
C15: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with knot

knot

see tie into knots; tie the knot.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.