close-knit
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of close-knit
First recorded in 1925–30
Explanation
Close-knit things are intimate, like a close-knit community where everyone knows each other's names and people look out for each other. Awww. The adjective close-knit is perfect for describing a group of people who are socially close. A close-knit neighborhood is very different from one in which people keep to themselves and don't really know each other or have much in common with their neighbors. And a close-knit family is familiar and united in their love for each other. A good way to remember this word is to think of a tightly (or closely) knitted sweater with no gaps or holes; the people of a close-knit community stick together in the same way, leaving no opportunities for someone to "fall through the cracks."
Vocabulary lists containing close-knit
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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.
Barnes was after all a financial adviser, living among them in the close-knit Warwickshire village - someone they all trusted.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
"In signals, we were separate from the other bases so we were so close-knit, like a little family."
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Unlike in outbreaks in Texas, South Carolina and Arizona, the disease spread in Utah beyond close-knit communities to every state health district.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
During the earlier phase, people buried in the tomb were often members of the same extended families, suggesting close-knit groups spanning multiple generations.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2026
“If you get too large, you don’t have enough work in common. You don’t have enough things in common, and then you start to become strangers and that close-knit fellowship starts to get lost.”
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
