knoll
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to ring or toll a bell for; announce by tolling.
-
to ring or toll (a bell).
verb (used without object)
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to sound, as a bell; ring.
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to sound a knell.
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have knolledperfect
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has knolledperfect 3rd person singular
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am knollingprogressive 1st person singular
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are knollingprogressive
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has been knollingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is knollingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been knollingperfect progressive
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knollingparticiple
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knollssingular 3rd person
Past
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had knolledperfect
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were knollingprogressive plural
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was knollingprogressive singular
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had been knollingperfect progressive
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knolledparticiple
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knolledsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of knoll1
before 900; Middle English cnol, Old English cnoll; cognate with Norwegian knoll hillock; akin to Dutch knol turnip, Icelandic knollur, German Knollen, Danish knold tuber
Origin of knoll2
1350–1400; Middle English (noun and v.); variant of knell
Explanation
A knoll is a small hill or mound of earth, which makes a shady knoll a perfect spot for a summer picnic. The word knoll is associated with the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was shot in Dallas just as his motorcade passed a grassy knoll. At first people thought that was where the shots had come from, but it was later determined that the assassin had fired from a nearby building instead. The "grassy knoll” became symbolic of a theory that others had participated in the assassination, and the term has become shorthand for any conspiracy theory.
Vocabulary lists containing knoll
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
About 90% of the Grogu acting was created with puppeteering techniques, says John Knoll, senior visual-effects supervisor at Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic, whose shop supplemented the other 10% with computer-generated imagery.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
If you mourn the lovers’ bench at Angel’s Knoll Park, know that it became immortal because of this film.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
The significance of some of the other photos from Hollin Brown Knoll remains "troubling", according to forensic archaeologist Prof John Hunter.
From BBC • Jul. 30, 2025
Corina Knoll traveled to Maui to cover the tragedy for The New York Times, and spent time talking with residents who lost relatives in the fire and learning about one family’s harrowing escape.
From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2023
Several hours later, when Kyril Montana walked through the front door of his comfortable home in an all-white suburban section of the capital called Pinon Knoll, his wife Marilyn greeted him with a courteous hug.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
