: bound together by intimate social or cultural ties or by close economic or political ties
close-knit families

Examples of close-knit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Whether in music groups like Nirvana and Destiny's Child or literary ensembles like the Three Musketeers, the power of triads lies in their unique and close-knit dynamic — an uneven number of players that beckons more thrill and unpredictability. EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 For a family that is already close-knit, being able to add witnessing the Chiefs secure another Super Bowl win to the list of memories is an experience Mike won't ever forget. Alex Ross, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 The Jewish community into which he was born, in 1632, was uniquely close-knit, set off not only from the Dutch Christians around it but from other Jewish communities in Western Europe. Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 Home to a close-knit but rundown public housing community called Liberty Square, it has been largely ignored for decades and left without adequate resources. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2024 Its residents, many of them members of the Indigenous Iñupiat community, are close-knit. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 8 Jan. 2024 When his parents started struggling with addiction, a loving and close-knit network of extended family members stepped in to help care for Shadrach. Zoe Sottile, CNN, 13 Oct. 2023 Oleksandr Soroka, a worker clearing ground for the graveyard’s expansion, said that the village was close-knit, and that the survivors would care for one another. David Guttenfelder, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023 The cause of that may lie in how close-knit the club keeps the academy and first team. Peter Rauterkus, Dallas News, 29 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'close-knit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of close-knit was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near close-knit

Cite this Entry

“Close-knit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close-knit. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

close-knit

adjective
ˈklō-ˈsnit
: bound together by feelings of very close association
a close-knit family
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!