Meaning & use
knot
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Meanings
nouncountable
A join made by tying or looping rope, string, or thread so it holds tight.
Grammar: Countable: tie a knot, tie two knots.
Patterns
- tie a knot
- loosen a knot
- a knot in something
She tied a knot in the rope to keep it from slipping.
The knot in my shoelace came undone.
He pulled the knot tight with both hands.
nouncountabletechnical
A unit of speed used at sea, equal to one nautical mile per hour.
Grammar: Countable and usually used after a number: ten knots, twenty knots.
Patterns
- travel at ten knots
- a speed of twenty knots
The ship was sailing at twenty knots.
Winds reached forty knots during the storm.
The ferry can travel at thirty knots.
nouncountable
A small, tight lump or tangle, as in hair or wood.
Grammar: Countable: a knot in your hair, knots in the wood.
Patterns
- a knot in your hair
- comb out the knots
She combed the knots out of her hair.
The board had dark knots in the wood.
There was a painful knot in my shoulder muscle.
verbtransitive
To tie something into a knot or fasten it with knots.
Grammar: Takes an object: knot the rope, knot your tie.
Patterns
- knot something together
- knot a tie
- knot the ends
He knotted his tie quickly before the meeting.
Knot the two ends together to make a longer rope.
She knotted the scarf around her neck.
verbintransitive
To become tangled or tight, forming knots.
Grammar: No object; often used of hair, thread, or muscles: my hair knotted.
Patterns
- something knots
- hair knots easily
My hair knots easily in the wind.
The thread knotted as I tried to sew.
His stomach knotted with nerves before the speech.
Word forms
| plural | knots |
|---|---|
| third person singular | knots |
| past tense | knotted |
| past participle | knotted |
| -ing form | knotting |
Common combinations
- tie a knot
- Tie a knot at the end of the string.
- a knot in your stomach
- I had a knot in my stomach before the exam.
- at a speed of ... knots
- The boat moved at a speed of fifteen knots.
- tie the knot
- They finally tied the knot after ten years together.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: knot or not?
knot vs not
Not is an adverb meaning 'in no way'; knot is the noun or verb for a tied fastening. They sound the same in many accents.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
After a number, the unit is plural: twenty knots. 'Knot' is singular and would need 'a'; the possessive forms are wrong here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “knot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.