knit
Americanverb (used with object)
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Knitting. to make (a garment, fabric, etc.) by interlocking loops of one or more yarns either by hand with knitting needles or by machine.
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to join closely and firmly, as members or parts (often followed bytogether ).
The tragedy knitted the family closer together.
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to contract into folds or wrinkles.
to knit the brow.
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to form or create from diverse sources or elements.
She knitted her play from old folk tales and family anecdotes.
verb (used without object)
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to become closely and firmly joined together; grow together, as broken bones do.
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to contract into folds or wrinkles, as the brow.
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to become closely and intimately united.
noun
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fabric produced by knitting.
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a knitted garment.
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a style or type of knitting.
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the basic stitch in knitting, formed by pulling a loop of the working yarn forward through an existing stitch and then slipping that stitch off the needle.
verb
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to make (a garment, etc) by looping and entwining (yarn, esp wool) by hand by means of long eyeless needles ( knitting needles ) or by machine ( knitting machine )
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to join or be joined together closely
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to draw (the brows) together or (of the brows) to come together, as in frowning or concentrating
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(of a broken bone) to join together; heal
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have knitperfect
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has knitperfect 3rd person singular
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have knittedperfect
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has knittedperfect 3rd person singular
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am knittingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been knittingperfect progressive
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has been knittingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are knittingprogressive
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knitssingular 3rd person
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knittingparticiple
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is knittingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had knittedperfect
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had knitperfect
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were knittingprogressive plural
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had been knittingperfect progressive
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knittedparticiple
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knitsimple
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was knittingprogressive singular
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knitparticiple
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knittedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of knit
before 1000; Middle English knitte, Old English cnyttan to tie; cognate with German knütten; see knot 1
Explanation
If you decide to knit a sweater, you will need yarn, knitting needles, an instruction manual, and lots of patience! Knitting involves different kinds of stitches or consecutive loops that you create in rows. The verb is derived from the Old English cnyttan, meaning “to tie with a knot, bind or fasten.” While knitting can also be completed with a machine, many people knit hats, scarves, and mittens as a hobby. Knit can also mean “entwine.” Two ideas or concepts can be knit together, and it could be said that a marriage knits two people together. Note that the ‘k’ at the beginning is silent.
Vocabulary lists containing knit
A Recipe for Success: Thanksgiving Cooking Words
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We can do things like art and knit, go swimming, gardening," she said.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
This mixed-use arrangement isn’t disruptive but electric—a reminder that education done well can knit generations and neighborhoods together.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
“Malcolm in the Middle,” a popular series about a tightly knit calamitous family of weirdos and the relatively less weird child at its center, is back after 20 years.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
At Milan Fashion Week on Thursday, the Prada show opened with cozy knit sweaters and multi-coloured scarves, only for garments to be ripped open, exposed and distressed as the catwalk continued.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
Then his brows knit together, and after a moment, he shouted over the music, “What did he mean by my reputation? You haven’t been talking about me when you come here, have you?”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
