Overhand knot

Overhand knot
The overhand knot
Names	Overhand knot, thumb knot
Category	Stopper
Efficiency	50%
Origin	Ancient
Related	Simple noose, overhand loop, figure-eight knot, angler's loop, reef knot, fisherman's knot, water knot, half hitch
Releasing	Jamming
Typical use	fishing, climbing, shoelaces, making other knots.
Caveat	Spills if the standing part is pulled forcibly in the wrong direction
ABoK	#514, #515, #519
Conway Notation	3
A/B notation	31

The overhand knot is one of the most fundamental knots, and it forms the basis of many others, including the simple noose, overhand loop, angler's loop, reef knot, fisherman's knot, half hitch, and water knot. The overhand knot is a stopper, especially when used alone, and hence it is very secure, to the point of jamming badly. It should be used if the knot is intended to be permanent. It is often used to prevent the end of a rope from unraveling. An overhand knot becomes a trefoil knot, a true knot in the mathematical sense, by joining the ends. It can also be adjusted, faired, or mis-tied as a half hitch.

46. The overhand is the simplest of the single-strand stopper knots, and is tied with one end around its own standing part, its purpose being to prevent unreeving.
47. The half knot is a binding knot, being the first movement of the reef or square knot. It is tied with two ends around an object and is used when reefing, furling, and tying up parcels, shoestrings, and the like.
48. The half hitch is tied with one end of a rope which is passed around an object and secured to its own standing part with a single hitch.

— The Ashley Book of Knots^[1]