kneel

[neel]

See more synonyms for kneel on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), knelt or kneeled, kneel·ing.

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

noun

the action or position of kneeling.

Origin of kneel

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

Related formskneel·ing·ly, adverbun·kneel·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for kneel

bow, stoop, genuflect, kowtow, curtsey

Examples from the Web for kneel

Contemporary Examples of kneel

As he went to kneel, I took a shot at him and [he] jumped in the door.
Killer Eric Frein Held in Murdered Cop’s Cuffs
Michael Daly
October 31, 2014
I kneel with the journalist in the sand, my face stoic and yet terrified, crying, knowing that I can do nothing but wait.
Thank Goodness We’ve Got A Plan! Let the War Begin!
Michael Carson
September 14, 2014
The three who were killed had been forced to kneel in a prayer position while assassins shot each in the forehead.
Catholic Nuns Aiding Africa's Battered Wives Are Raped and Murdered
Barbie Latza Nadeau
September 10, 2014
The nurse then forces him to stand up, kneel down before his father, and address him as “father” thirty times in a row.
‘Web Junkie’ Is a Harrowing Documentary on China’s Internet Addiction Rehab Clinics
Marlow Stern
January 20, 2014
Beyond the Wall, the free folk do not kneel to anyone, unlike their supposedly more civilized neighbors.
‘Game of Thrones’ Season 3 for Dummies
Jace Lacob
March 27, 2013

Historical Examples of kneel

I kneel not, repenting of what I have vowed in such a case as that I have supposed.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Then, as he was about to kneel down, he saw her before him at his feet.
The Dream
Emile Zola
Peter, I'll just kneel and kiss your hands if you can fix this for me.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
"Then kneel on the ground and pull them up with your hands," said the farmer.
What Sami Sings with the Birds
Johanna Spyri
Let me not kneel in vain, Madam: let me not be thus despised.
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for kneel

kneel

verb kneels, kneeling, knelt or kneeled

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

noun

the act or position of kneeling

Derived Formskneeler, noun

Word Origin for kneel

Old English cnēowlian; see knee

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for kneel

Old English cneowlian, from cneow (see knee (n.)); cf. Middle Low German knelen, Middle Dutch cnielen, Dutch knielen Gothic knussjan. Past tense knelt is a modern formation (19c.) on analogy of feel/felt, etc. Related: Kneeling.