Knell
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /nɛl/ · Part of speech verb
Quick meaning: Knell is a verb meaning (intransitive) To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
Meaning
(intransitive) To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
More Meanings
- (transitive) To signal or proclaim something (especially a death) by ringing a bell.
- (transitive) To summon by, or as if by, ringing a bell.
- The sound of a bell knelling; a toll (particularly one signalling a death).
- (figuratively) A sign of the end or demise of something or someone.
Example Sentences
“[…] God!—the words of the warlock are knelling in my ears!”
Yet all that poets sing, and grief hath known, Of hopes laid waste, knells in that word—ALONE!
[…]he is able to pierce a corselet with his eye; talks like a knell, and his hum is a battery.
The chill rain is falling, the nipt worm is crawling, The rivers are swelling, the thunder is knelling For the year
Word Forms
- knells
- knelling
- knelled
Synonyms for knell
Depending on context, synonyms include ring.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include ring, funeral, toll, memorial, voice, ruling.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.