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

After her program, she clutched the necklaces on her burgundy lace dress and knelt at center ice.

From Los Angeles Times

Once, during a demonstration outside a cafeteria, as police were about to arrest the demonstrators, Jackson suggested they kneel and recite the Lord’s Prayer.

From Los Angeles Times

I kneel onto the soft earth and start tossing aside the larger pieces of garbage —a very sad looking Pierre the Pineapple, for one.

From Literature

He knelt and put his wife’s sock and shoe on her left foot.

From Literature

She had knelt down on the floor, picking up all the necklaces and earrings that he had scattered about.

From Literature

Related Words

• bow