Dictionary.com

knell

[ nel ]
/ nɛl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR knell

noun

the sound made by a bell rung slowly, especially for a death or a funeral.
a sound or sign announcing the death of a person or the end, extinction, failure, etc., of something: the knell of parting day.
any mournful sound.

verb (used without object)

to sound, as a bell, especially a funeral bell.
to give forth a mournful, ominous, or warning sound.

verb (used with object)

to proclaim or summon by, or as if by, a bell.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of knell

before 950; (noun) Middle English knel,Old English cynll; (v.) Middle English knellen, knyllen,Old English cynllan; cognate with Old Norse knylla to beat, strike; akin to Dutch knal bang, knallen to bang, German Knall explosion, knallen to explode

OTHER WORDS FROM knell

un·knelled, adjective

Words nearby knell

knee spavin, knee-sprung, knees-up, knee-trembling, kneidel, knell, Kneller, knelt, Knesset, knew, knicker
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to knell

sound, bell, signal, summon, warning, toll, ring, proclaim

Example sentences from the Web for knell

British Dictionary definitions for knell

knell
/ (nɛl) /

noun

the sound of a bell rung to announce a death or a funeral
something that precipitates or indicates death or destruction

verb

(intr) to ring a knell
(tr) to proclaim or announce by or as if by a tolling bell

Word Origin for knell

Old English cnyll; related to Middle High German knüllen to strike, Dutch knallen to bang
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

Idioms and Phrases with knell

knell

see death knell.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.