knoll
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
to ring or toll a bell for; announce by tolling.
-
to ring or toll (a bell).
verb (used without object)
-
to sound, as a bell; ring.
-
to sound a knell.
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
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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Animal Farm
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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.
The district contracted with Paramo’s personal trainer Isaiah Knoll to provide athletic training services despite the fact that Knoll does not hold any credentials in sports medicine, the Leader reported.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025
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
The Oakland Fire Department responded to a report of a house fire in the 3500 block of Oak Knoll Boulevard around 6:15 a.m., according to authorities.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2024
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
Jasper laughed, not ill-humoredly, and went on, leading them on around Roke Knoll.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
