kneel

[ neel ]

/ nil /

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.

RELATED WORDS

bow, stoop, genuflect, kowtow, curtsey

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
His mother preferred to kneel, but admitted it was wise to conform to surrounding custom lest one forget in a public place.
Wilderness of Spring|Edgar Pangborn
Now whenPage 288 I kneel in prayer the voice of praise is on my lips.
Lives of the Three Mrs. Judsons|Arabella W. Stuart
And she could kneel by its side and say to it, "You can watch me always; I am just as I used to be."
Tommy and Grizel|J.M. Barrie
A man had only to whistle for her, and she who had pretended most was delighted to come and kneel at his feet.
The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II)|Henry James
As I looked around, I beheld a girl of ten years old approach timidly from the shelter of the ruins, and kneel down at my feet.
Anne of Geierstein, Volume I (of 2)|Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for kneel

kneel

/ (niːl) /

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

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.