Definition of 'knot'

knot

(nɒt )

Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense knots , present participle knotting , past tense, past participle knotted

1. countable noun

If you tie a knot in a piece of string, rope, cloth, or other material, you pass one end or part of it through a loop and pull it tight.

One lace had broken and been tied in a knot.

Synonyms: connection, tie, bond, joint More Synonyms of knot

2. verb

If you knot a piece of string, rope, cloth, or other material, you pass one end or part of it through a loop and pull it tight.

He knotted the laces securely together. [V n + together]

He knotted the bandanna around his neck. [VERB noun]

...a knotted rope. [VERB-ed]

Synonyms: tie, secure, bind, weave More Synonyms of knot

3. countable noun [usually NOUN of noun]

A knot of people is a group of people who are standing very close together.

[written]

A little knot of men stood clapping.

Synonyms: group, company, set, band More Synonyms of knot

4. countable noun

If you feel a knot in your stomach, you get an uncomfortable tight feeling in your stomach, usually because you are afraid or excited.

There was a knot of tension in his stomach. [+ of]

5. verb

If your stomach knots or if something knots it, it feels tight because you are afraid or excited.

I felt my stomach knot with apprehension. [VERB]

The old dread knotted her stomach. [VERB noun]

Synonyms: tighten, become tense, tauten, stretch More Synonyms of knot

6. verb

If part of your face or your muscles knot, they become tense, usually because you are worried or angry.

His forehead knotted in a frown. [VERB]

...his knotted muscles. [VERB-ed]

7. countable noun

A knot in a piece of wood is a small hard area where a branch grew.

8. countable noun

A knot is a unit of speed. The speed of ships, aircraft, and winds is measured in knots.

They travel at speeds of up to 30 knots.

...thirteen knot winds.

See to tie yourself in knots

10.

See to tie the knot

More Synonyms of knot

Video: pronunciation of
knot

knot in British English 1

(nɒt )

noun

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

a prescribed method of tying a particular knot

a tangle, as in hair or string

a decorative bow or fastening, as of ribbon or braid

a small cluster or huddled group

a tie or bond

the marriage knot

a difficult problem

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

10.

a sensation of constriction, caused by tension or nervousness

his stomach was tying itself in knots

11.

a. pathology

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

b. anatomy

a protuberance on an organ or part

12.

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

13.

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

14. See at a rate of knots

15. See tie someone in knots

16. See tie the knot

verbWord forms: knots, knotting or knotted

17. (transitive)

to tie or fasten in a knot

18.

to form or cause to form into a knot

19.

to ravel or entangle or become ravelled or entangled

20. (transitive)

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

Derived forms

knotter (ˈknotter)

noun

knotless (ˈknotless)

adjective

knotlike (ˈknotˌlike)

adjective

Word origin

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

knot in British English 2

(nɒt )

noun

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

Word origin

C15: of unknown origin

knot in American English 1

(nɑt )

noun

a lump or knob in a thread, cord, etc., formed by passing one free end through a loop and drawing it tight, or by a tangle drawn tight

a fastening made by intertwining or tying together pieces of string, cord, rope, etc.

an ornamental bow of ribbon or twist of braid; cockade; epaulet

a small group or cluster

something that ties or fastens closely or intricately; bond of union; esp., the bond of marriage

a problem; difficulty; entanglement

a knotlike part; node or lump [a knot in a tense muscle]

; specif.,

a hard lump on a tree where a branch grows out

a cross section of such a lump, appearing as cross-grained in a board or log

a joint on a plant stem where two leaves grow out

any of several fungal diseases of trees, in which abnormal protuberances appear

8. Nautical

a. Obsolete

any of the knots tied at regular intervals in a line used in measuring a ship's speed

a unit of speed of one nautical mile (6,076.12 feet or 1,852 meters) an hour

abbrev. kn or kt

to average a speed of 10 knots

c. Loosely

nautical mile

verb transitiveWord forms: ˈknotted or ˈknotting

to tie, fasten, or intertwine in or with a knot or knots; make a knot or knots in

10.

to tie or unite closely or intricately; entangle

11.

to make ( fringe) by tying knots

verb intransitive

12.

to form a knot or knots; become entangled

13.

to make knots for fringe

Idioms:

tie the knot

Word origin

ME knotte < OE cnotta, akin to Du knot, Swed knut, Ger knoten < IE *gn-eu-t < base *gen-, to press together > knob, knead

knot in American English 2

(nɑt )

noun

any of various sandpipers (genus Calidris); esp., a large, migratory species (C. canutus) that breeds in arctic regions

Word origin

rare ME knotte < ?

knot in American English 1

(nɑt) (verb knotted, knotting)

noun

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

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

a group or cluster of persons or things

a knot of spectators

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

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

6. Anatomy & Zoology

a protuberance or swelling on or in a part or process, as in a muscle

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

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

an involved, intricate, or difficult matter; complicated problem

10. 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 log line, marked off by knots

a nautical mile

11.

a bond or tie

the knot of matrimony

12. Also called: joint, node Math

in interpolation, one of the points at which the values of a function are assigned

13. See tie the knot

transitive verb

14.

to tie in a knot; form a knot in

15.

to secure or fasten by a knot

16.

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

intransitive verb

17.

to become tied or tangled in a knot

18.

to form knots or joints

Derived forms

knotless

adjective

knotlike

adjective

Word origin

[bef. 1000; (n.) ME knot(te), OE cnotta; c. D knot, G knoten to knit; (v.) ME, deriv. of the n.]

knot in American English 2

(nɑt)

noun

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

Also called: grayback

Word origin

[1425–75; late ME; orig. uncert.]

Examples of 'knot' in a sentence
knot

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

Secure with a knot at either end.The knot garden seems rather fitting for this old romantic.She was still in her wedding dress after tying the knot there hours earlier.There was a little knot of people at the top of the steps.They tied the knot at a small ceremony for close friends and family.Sometimes the knot of hair is as big as their head.Pull the thread so that a knot forms on the edge of the fabric.You watch with a knot in your stomach.But which of our housewives will tie the knot?We go through our lives knowing only how to tie one or two knots.

Word lists with
knot

bird

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

Score: 0 / 5

Which bird am I?

a species of seagoing petrel, Daption capensis, with characteristic white wing patches: a common winter visitor off the coasts of southern Africa: family Diomedeidae

Cape pigeon coly sheathbill

Which bird am I?

a white pelagian bird, Paethon rubricauda, of tropical latitudes in the Indian and Pacific oceans, with a red beak and long red tail feathers

amokura bee eater quetzal

Which bird am I?

a large American shore bird, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, having a long stout bill, long legs, and a grey plumage with black-and-white wings: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes

godwit surfbird willet

Which bird am I?

any aquatic songbird of the genus Cinclus and family Cinclidae, esp C. cinclus. They inhabit fast-flowing streams and resemble large wrens

crow dipper jungle fowl

Which bird am I?

any of various small Australian songbirds of the genus Pardalotus, esp the diamond bird

bunting jungle fowl pardalote

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