🪢 A rope fastening 🚤 A speed unit 🪵 A hard lump 👥 A small group 🪢 To tie together 🐦 A shorebird 🧠 To tangle

knot

84 5.3

A unit of speed for ships and planes equal to one nautical mile per hour

noun
/nɑt/

Specialized

: nudo

Moving at 31 knots, sir?
knots per hour
speed of 11 knots
20 knots

Don't know what that's in knots, but on the coast of California.

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Examples

She was doing 12 knots an hour in a stiff breeze.

Ghost Ship (2002)
- Oh, about six knots.

Spawn of the Slithis (1978)
This is in knots, which is a traditional unit of wind speed.
We're doing just over 22 knots at present-

S.O.S. Titanic (1980)
According to the cruise book, it was only a five-knot current, but it felt much stronger.

Fiction book (1996)
Winds are five knots and to the southeast.

Land of Bad (2024)
Strong winds, as you can see, already at 22 knots.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
A strong Sumatra may produce winds of up to 50 knots or higher.

Academic text (2005)
At 160 knots, let the landing gear down.

On a Wing and a Prayer (2023)
The boat sailed smoothly at a speed of 30 knots, making good progress across the sea.

Idioms

to tie the knot

Informal

26 3.1

To get married and begin life together as a couple

to get one's knickers in a knot

1 9.8

To become upset or worried about something not important

to get one's shorts in a knot

Informal

9.9

To become upset over a small problem

to get your shorts in a knot

Informal

9.9

Get very upset or worried about something small

Compounds

Gordian knot

Literature

1 9.9

A very difficult problem with no easy solution

square knot

Specialized

1 3.9

A knot used to join two ends of rope or cord by tying two opposite small knots

Windsor knot

1 4.4

A wide, triangular knot for tying a tie that gives a formal look

bowline knot

Specialized

1 7.3

A way of tying a rope to make a fixed loop that will not slip or jam

barrel knot

Jargon

1 8.6

A knot people who fish use to join two lines by wrapping the ends together

fisherman's knot

Specialized

1 6.1

A way of tying two fishing lines together so they hold well

loop knot

1 5.3

A fixed ring in a rope that does not slip or change size

lover's knot

1 6.4

A knot used to show love and a close connection

granny knot

Specialized

1 8.5

A weak way of tying rope or laces that slips open easily

overhand knot

1 4.4

You make it by passing the rope end over itself and pulling it through the loop

blood knot

Specialized

7.7

A strong knot for joining two fishing lines by wrapping their ends

black knot

Specialized

8.8

A disease that makes black, hard lumps on cherry and plum branches

balloon knot

3.9

A knot that keeps air or helium inside a balloon

flat knot

Specialized

3.6

A simple tie that joins two ropes securely, often used in sailing and wrapping packages

French knot

Jargon

7.2

A small raised knot on fabric made by winding thread around a needle

love knot

5.4

A decorative loop of rope or ribbon used as a sign of love

lovers' knot

7.3

A decorative knot used on jewelry to show love between two people

Matthew Walker knot

Specialized

9.9

A knot tied at the end of a rope to stop the end passing through an opening

prolonge knot

Archaic

9.9

A way of tying a rope to attach and pull a cannon carriage

reef knot

Specialized

5.2

A way of tying two rope ends by crossing them left then right to hold bandages or sails

pine knot

7.9

A hard piece of pine wood from where a branch meets the trunk that burns brightly

surgeon's knot

Specialized

7.7

A knot with an extra twist used to tie stitches or join two lines

sword knot

9.7

A small decorative cord or tassel that hangs from a sword hilt and keeps the sword tied to the wrist

true lovers' knot

7.5

A decorative knot used as a sign of love, often seen in jewelry

true lover's knot

7.6

A decorative knot design that shows love and loyalty in jewelry

true lover's knot

7.9

A knot used to join the ends of two ropes so they stay together

truelove knot

8.8

A way of joining two ropes used as a symbol of love

stopper knot

Specialized

5.8

A way of tying the end of a rope to stop it slipping through a hole

weaver's knot

Specialized

8.9

To tie one rope or thread temporarily to the middle of another rope to join them

Surface Forms

knot singular

knots plural

Etymology

Knot (speed) got its name from sailors who used a rope with regular 'knots' tied in it to measure how fast a ship moved, by counting the knots that passed in a set time. So a knot is now a unit of speed at sea equal to one 'nautical mile' per hour.