knot

UK: /ˈnɒt/ US: /nɑt/ ,(not)

Inflections of 'knot' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

knots

v 3rd person singular

knotting

v pres p

knotted

v past

knotted

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

knot¹ /nɑt/   n., v., knot•ted, knot•ting. 
n. [countable]

1. Naval Terms, Textiles a tying tightly together of the two ends of a cord, rope, or the like into a knob:
   to tie a knot securely.
2. a lump of something formed by tying into this shape:
   a knot of hair on the top of her head.
3. a tangled mass;
   snarl:
   combed out the knots in the dog's fur.
4. a group or cluster of persons or things:
   a knot of spectators.
5. Botany the hard, cross-grained mass of wood at the place where a branch joins a tree trunk;
   a part of this mass showing in a piece of lumber.
6. Pathology a cramping, as of a muscle.
7. Nautical
   • Naval Terms a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.15 statute miles per hour.
   • Naval Terms a nautical mile.
8. a bond or tie:
   the knot of matrimony.

v. 

9. to (cause to) become tied or tangled in a knot: [~ + object]
   He knotted the rope.
   [no object]
   The rope is too wet to knot easily.
10. to (cause to) have a feeling of tension or nervousness (in): [no object]
    His stomach knotted in fear.
    [~ + object]
    The excitement knotted his stomach.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

knot¹  (not), n., v., knot•ted, knot•ting. 
n. 

1. Naval Terms 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. Clothing 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.
4. Botany 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. Zoology [Anat., Zool.] a protuberance or swelling on or in a part or process, as in a muscle.
7. Botany a protuberance in the tissue of a plant;
   an excrescence on a stem, branch, or root;
   a node or joint in a stem, esp. when of swollen form.
8. Plant Diseases 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.
10. Nautical
    • Naval Terms a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.15 statute miles per hour.
    • Naval Terms a unit of 47 feet 3 inches (13.79 meters) on a log line, marked off by knots.
    • Naval Terms a nautical mile.
11. a bond or tie:
    the knot of matrimony.
12. Also called joint, node. [Math.] in interpolation, one of the points at which the values of a function are assigned.
13. Idioms tie the knot, [Informal.] to marry:
    They will tie the knot in November.

v.t. 

14. to tie in a knot;
    form a knot in.
15. to secure or fasten by a knot.
16. to form protuberances, bosses, or knobs in;
    make knotty.

v.i. 

17. to become tied or tangled in a knot.
18. to form knots or joints.

• bef. 1000; (noun, nominal) Middle English knot(te), Old English cnotta; cognate with Dutch knot, German knoten to knit; (verb, verbal) Middle English, derivative of the noun, nominal

knot′less, adj. 
knot′like′, adj. 
Synonyms

• 3. company, band, crew, gang, crowd.
• 7. lump, knob, gnarl.
• 9. perplexity, puzzle, conundrum.

knot²  (not), n. 

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

• 1425–75; late Middle English; origin, originally uncertain

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

knot / 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 hard mass of wood at the point where a branch joins the trunk of a tree
9. 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. a lump of vessels or fibres formed in a part, as in a muscle
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. at a rate of knots ⇒ very fast
14. tie someone in knots ⇒ to completely perplex or confuse someone

verb (knots, knotting, knotted)

1. (transitive) to tie or fasten in a knot
2. to form or cause to form into a knot
3. to ravel or entangle or become ravelled or entangled
4. (transitive) to make (an article or a design) by tying thread in an interlaced pattern of ornamental knots, as in macramé

Etymology: Old English cnotta; related to Old High German knoto, Old Norse knūtr

ˈknotter noun

ˈknotless adjective

knot / nɒt/ noun

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

Etymology: 15th Century: of unknown origin