kneel

American  

[neel] / nil /

verb (used without object)

knelt, kneeled, kneeling

1. to go down or rest on the knees or a knee.

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noun

1. the action or position of kneeling.

kneel British  

/ niːl /

verb

1. (intr) to rest, fall, or support oneself on one's knees

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noun

1. the act or position of kneeling

Other Word Forms

• kneeler noun
• kneelingly adverb
• unkneeling adjective

Etymology

Origin of kneel

First recorded before 1000; Middle English knelen, Old English cnēowlian (cognate with Low German knelen, Dutch knielen ). See knee, -le

Example Sentences

Blanc will reveal the truth, proclaiming his choice to “kneel at the altar of the rational.”

From Los Angeles Times

It took several officers to get Hodgson to kneel on the ground.

From Los Angeles Times

Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright knelt in memory of the late Laney football coach John Beam after an interception Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times

And then she knelt down in quiet prayer.

From Los Angeles Times

In the cemetery, Munzanza's mother Florence knelt by his gravestone and wept.

From Barron's

Related Words

• bow