hank

A length of thread, wool, or rope wound into a loose bundle of loops.

• She bought a hank of wool.
• Two hanks of yarn lay beside her needles.
• He unwound the hank of rope carefully.

How to use it: a hank of something (I need another hank of cotton yarn.)

Similar words: skein, coil

Common phrases: hank of yarn, hank of rope

A doubt or difficulty that makes something uncertain or hard to do.

• A hank remained in his mind.
• They faced a hank in settling the matter.
• She resolved the last hank before proceeding.

Similar words: doubt, difficulty

Common phrases: a troublesome hank, a lingering hank

A confused mass of things twisted or mixed together.

• The thread was a hank.
• He pulled at the tangled hank of rope.
• She spent an hour sorting out the hank.

Similar words: tangle, mess

Common phrases: a tangled hank, hank of thread

A piece of rope or a flexible branch used to hold a gate shut.

• He tied the gate with a hank.
• The old hank broke in the wind.
• She replaced the hank before the cattle escaped.

Common phrases: gate hank, a rope hank

To wind thread, wool, or rope into loose bundles of loops.

• She hanked the yarn.
• We hank the wool before dyeing it.
• He carefully hanked each length of thread.

Common phrases: hank the yarn, hank the wool