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
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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.
See Examples For:
“It used to be a very close knit group of film critics, and now it’s kind of expanded because people have more of a voice on the internet.”
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
His father was killed at the bitter end of the war, fighting for Marshal Tito, the leader who managed to knit together the multi-ethnic state of Yugoslavia and suppress simmering enmities.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
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
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
His brows are knit; his face is drawn with pain.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
And Michael Olise, the breakout star of this tournament, has five assists as he knits the team together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
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
Stone knits puppets and vaudeville acts, songs and somersaults, as well as melds two groups of people who might not have shared a lunch table in high school — the jocks and the theater geeks.
From Seattle Times ● May 28, 2024
She knits, talks on the phone with Aunt Louise about their London trip—which they’re still secretly planning—and reads her citizenship booklet.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Boys and men wear big knitted caps and grow the hair from their temples into long locks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
By studying how the fabric's geometry and material properties influenced this snap-through behavior, the team determined the physical conditions that allow knitted textiles to become multistable.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 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
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
Why would Brigit's knitted square get him in trouble?
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
The team selected highly elastic yarns and used a knitting method called plating, which places different yarns on opposite faces of the textile.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
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
It is the result of “just streamlining these workflows and knitting someone’s journey together end to end,” says Clementine Jacoby, chief executive officer of Recidiviz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Instead I watched Anna take the bundled-up knitting from the table.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
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.
