overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

knit.

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.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/nɪt/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. 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.

    ambitransitive
    to knit a stocking
    The first generation knitted to order; the second still knits for its own use; the next leaves knitting to industrial manufacturers.
  2. To create a stitch by pulling the working yarn through an existing stitch from back to front.

    ambitransitive
    Stitches that are knitted look like little V’s when seen from the front.
  3. To join closely and firmly together.

    figuratively · transitive
    The fight for survival knitted the men closely together.
  4. To become closely and firmly joined; become compacted.

    intransitive
  5. To grow together.

    intransitive
    All those seedlings knitted into a kaleidoscopic border.
  6. To combine from various elements.

    transitive
    The witness knitted together his testimony from contradictory pieces of hearsay.
  7. To heal following a fracture.

    intransitive
    I’ll go skiing again after my bones knit.
  8. To form into a knot, or into knots; to tie together, as cord; to fasten by tying.

    transitive
  9. To draw together; to contract into wrinkles.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gnod-der.? Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu Proto-Indo-European *ǵnu-tonder.? Proto-Germanic *knuttô Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *knuttijaną Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan Old English cnyttan Middle English knytten English knit Inherited from Middle English knytten, from Old English cnyttan, from Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan, from Proto-Germanic *knuttijaną, from *knuttô + *-janą. Cognate with Low German knütten and Old Norse knýta (whence Danish knytte, Norwegian Nynorsk knyta). More at knot.

noun/nɪt/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. A knitted garment.

  2. A session of knitting.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gnod-der.? Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu Proto-Indo-European *ǵnu-tonder.? Proto-Germanic *knuttô Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *knuttijaną Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan Old English cnyttan Middle English knytten English knit Inherited from Middle English knytten, from Old English cnyttan, from Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan, from Proto-Germanic *knuttijaną, from *knuttô + *-janą. Cognate with Low German knütten and Old Norse knýta (whence Danish knytte, Norwegian Nynorsk knyta). More at knot.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

knit has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

knit studioknit workshello, knit

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.