knit
Americanverb (used with object)
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knits,
present (3rd person singular)
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knitted,
past participle, past
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knit,
past participle, past
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knitting
present participle
-
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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knits,
present (3rd person singular)
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knitted,
past participle, past
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knit,
past participle, past
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knitting
present participle
-
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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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knitsimple
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knitssimple
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have knitperfect
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have knittedperfect
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has knitperfect
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has knittedperfect
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am knittingprogressive
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are knittingprogressive
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is knittingprogressive
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have been knittingperfect progressive
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has been knittingperfect progressive
Past
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knitsimple
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knittedsimple
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had knitperfect
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had knittedperfect
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was knittingprogressive
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were knittingprogressive
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had been knittingperfect progressive
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
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.
See Examples For:
As Weber explains, "they send the newly formed nuclei of their daughter cells gliding across long distances to repopulate the damaged area of the brain and knit the astrocyte network back together."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
As we’re talking to Ogwumike, Sania Feagin slips by in a multicolored knit beanie, smile unmissable, holding a bouquet of Mother’s Day flowers from one of the league’s social media managers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
Her opening look - a white T-shirt, a half-zipped knit, loose jeans - set a template that has now followed her to the Met Gala.
From BBC ● May 9, 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
Then they pulled on their beautiful white stockings, that they had knit of fine cotton thread in lacy, openwork patterns, and they buttoned up their best shoes.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
His charming, whimsical collection featured ruffled tutus, sculptured soft knits, peplum jackets, skirts with bustles and plenty of shearling fabric.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
In keeping with the tradition of Yuletide pullovers, Yiayia knits a bright-red Christmas sweater adorned with tassels and bells for her grandson’s dog.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
The camera knits them all together in long shots, swirling around their idyllic backyard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
These knits have become synonymous with the holiday season.
From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2024
At breakneck speed Ashima knits sweater-vests for her father, her father-in-law, her brother, her three favorite uncles.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
I held them and thought back to my intent to turn the hand-spun yarn into knitted pincushions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
And in Seehorn he found someone who, with a mere sidelong glance or knitted brow, can let you in on Gilligan’s secrets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
More than three decades after EU members knitted together their economies into a single market, banking and financial systems remain fragmented.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Morgan research report External link highlighted how hardware and software can be knitted together to constructing an electrical network that will meet future demands and reduce vulnerabilities.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
She placed the kitten in the box, removed her own scarf—a rainbow-colored piece she had knitted herself—and tucked it around the kitten.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Apple under Tim Cook’s leadership has illustrated the virtues of sticking to one’s knitting.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026
With spinning, weaving, dyeing and knitting facilities -- the Glo-Djigbe site exported its first garments in 2024 for the French retailer Kiabi, followed by other international brands such as US Polo.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The result is that people now see shared pursuits — a weekly tennis game, a book club, a knitting circle — as potential products to claim and monetize.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
"I love knitting and wondered to my wife if there might be some sort of related world record I could have a go at," said Fannon.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
That afternoon, she said, there’d been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they’d asked the supervisor to come and settle it.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
