knit
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by forming loops that are pulled through each other.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nitIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ambitransitive
To turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by forming loops that are pulled through each other. This can be done by hand with needles or by machine.
“The first generation knitted to order; the second still knits for its own use; the next leaves knitting to industrial manufacturers.”
To join closely and firmly together.
“The fight for survival knitted the men closely together.”
To become closely and firmly joined; become compacted.
To form into a knot, or into knots; to tie together, as cord; to fasten by tying.
To draw together; to contract into wrinkles.
To grow together.
“All those seedlings knitted into a kaleidoscopic border.”
noun
A knitted garment.
A session of knitting.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by forming loops that are pulled through each other. This can be done by hand with needles or by machine.
Used this way, knit is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The first generation knitted to order; the second still knits for its own use; the next leaves knitting to industrial manufacturers.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “knit to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Nearby words
- rumple , rarer, so it draws attention
Natural pattern: knit to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Join / becomeverb
“The fight for survival knitted the men closely together.”
Turnverb
“The first generation knitted to order; the second still knits for its own use; the next leaves knitting to industrial manufacturers.”
Growverb
“All those seedlings knitted into a kaleidoscopic border.”
More ways to use knit
- “The first generation knitted to order; the second still knits for its own use; the next leaves knitting to industrial manufacturers.”verb
- “I'll go skiing again after my bones knit.”verb
- “My grandmother loves to knit warm sweaters and cozy scarves for us.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Needlework created by interlacing yarn in a series of connected loops using straight eyeless needles or by machine.
Someone who makes garments (or fabrics) by intertwining yarn or thread.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A stitch taken in knitting.
A basic knitting stitch made by putting the needle through the front of the stitch from the lefthand side.
A textile machine that makes knitted fabrics.
Needle consisting of a slender rod with pointed ends.
A knit fabric similar to jersey that is made with two sets of needles producing a double thickness joined by interlocking stitches.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.