knot

/nɔt/

Definition

Noun:
- A fastening made by tying a piece of rope, string, or similar material upon itself or to something else: A secure interlacement of material.
- A hard, cross-grained, roundish mass in wood where a branch grew: A natural imperfection or feature in timber.
- A tight cluster or group of people or things: A small, closely gathered group.
- A unit of speed used in navigation and aviation, equal to one nautical mile per hour: A measure of speed over water or through air.
- A feeling of tightness or tension, often in a muscle or the stomach due to stress or anxiety: A physical sensation of constriction.
Verb:
- To tie or fasten with a knot: To secure by making interlocking loops.
- To form knots or become knotted: To create or develop tight, tangled parts.
- To make something tangled or complicated: To cause confusion or complexity.

Usage Examples

Noun:
- He tied a secure knot in the rope.
- The board had a large, dark knot where a branch had been.
- A small knot of protesters gathered outside.
- The ship was traveling at fifteen knots.
- She felt a knot of anxiety in her stomach.
Verb:
- Please knot the two ends of the string together.
- The old fishing line had knotted itself.
- His explanation only served to knot the issue further.

Advanced Usage

"Tie the knot": To get married.
- They finally decided to tie the knot next summer.
"At a rate of knots": Very quickly.
- She finished the paperwork at a rate of knots.
"Cut the Gordian knot": To solve a complex problem with a bold, decisive action.
- The new manager cut the Gordian knot by firing the entire underperforming department.

Variants and Related Words

Knotty (adj): Full of knots; complicated or difficult to solve.
- They faced a knotty problem with no easy solution.
Unknot (verb): To undo a knot.
- Can you help me unknot this necklace?

Synonyms

Related Phrasal Verbs

Knot together: To join or fasten things by tying knots.
- We knotted together several short ropes to make one long one.

Related Idioms

Tie oneself in knots: To become very confused or anxious when trying to explain or do something.
- He tied himself in knots trying to justify his mistake.
A knot in one's stomach: A feeling of nervousness or apprehension.
- She had a knot in her stomach before the big presentation.

Noun

a sandpiper that breeds in the Arctic and winters in the southern hemisphere
soft lump or unevenness in a yarn; either an imperfection or created by design
a unit of length used in navigation; exactly 1,852 meters; historically based on the distance spanned by one minute of arc in latitude
something twisted and tight and swollen
- their muscles stood out in knots
- the old man's fists were two great gnarls
- his stomach was in knots
a hard cross-grained round piece of wood in a board where a branch emerged
- the saw buckled when it hit a knot
any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a rope (or cord) upon itself or to another rope or to another object
a tight cluster of people or things
- a small knot of women listened to his sermon
- the bird had a knot of feathers forming a crest

Verb

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