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

I kneel and whisper in her ear: “Nutty up, nutty down, nutty good day all around. Bye, Boo.”

From Literature

Mom comes over and kneels next to me.

From Literature

Then he knelt down, emptied the chalk from his pockets, and chose the spot for his opening line.

From Literature

Protesters, some wearing clerical stoles draped over their shoulders, knelt while singing hymns and reciting the Lord’s Prayer in frigid conditions before being handcuffed and led away, video showed.

From The Wall Street Journal

With only 18 seconds left after that game-tying score, the Rams opted to kneel and send the game to overtime.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bow