knot

¹ American  

[not] / nɒt /

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.

3. a group or cluster of persons or things.

   a knot of spectators.

   Synonyms:

   crowd, gang, crew, band, company

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

5. 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.

7. 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.

   Synonyms:

   gnarl, knob, lump

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

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

   Synonyms:

   conundrum, puzzle, perplexity

10. Nautical.

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

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

    3. a nautical mile.

11. a bond or tie.

    the knot of matrimony.

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

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verb (used with object)

knotted, knotting

1. to tie in a knot; form a knot in.

2. to secure or fasten by a knot.

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

verb (used without object)

knotted, knotting

1. to become tied or tangled in a knot.

2. to form knots or joints.

idioms

1. tie the knot, to marry.

   They will tie the knot in November.

knot ² American  

[not] / nɒt /

noun

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

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knot ¹ British  

/ 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

3. a tangle, as in hair or string

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

5. a small cluster or huddled group

6. a tie or bond

   the marriage knot

7. a difficult problem

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

9. 1. a hard mass of wood at the point where a branch joins the trunk of a tree

   2. 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. 1. pathol a lump of vessels or fibres formed in a part, as in a muscle

    2. 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. very fast

15. to completely perplex or confuse someone

16. informal to get married

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verb

1. (tr) to tie or fasten in a knot

2. to form or cause to form into a knot

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

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

knot ² British  

/ nɒt /

noun

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

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knot More Idioms  

1. see tie into knots; tie the knot.

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Other Word Forms

• knotless adjective
• knotlike adjective
• knotter noun

Etymology

Origin of knot¹

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

Origin of knot²

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

Explanation

A knot is a securely fastened loop of string, rope, or fabric. Before kids learn to tie their shoelaces, they first have to learn to tie a simple knot. If someone asks you to "tie the knot," give it some thought since they are asking you to get married. Sailors need to know how to make many different rope knots, and doctors learn to tie knots with the thin sutures they use to stitch wounds closed. You can also talk about a group or tight gathering of people as a knot: "A knot of fans formed around the movie star as she walked down the street." When you knot something, you tie it into knots or make a situation more complicated and snarled.

Example Sentences

After Scotty’s death, Ledger became a staple in Diem’s life, and the budding romance with Kenna tangles everyone into a gnarled knot of low-stakes deception and drama.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

Asked about rumours they had tied the knot, she joked: "Really? I haven't seen any of them".

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Ship-tracking websites showed the Mayuree Naree just off the Omani coast in the Strait of Hormuz, moving slowly at little more than one knot.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

This work is ethereal, and maybe something solid will create a knot.’

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

Ella felt frozen, a knot twisted in her stomach, and she knew something had to be very, very wrong.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• clump
• cluster
• mob
• swarm