What does "knell" mean?
The sound of a bell knelling; a toll (particularly one signalling a death).
Knell
/nel/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The sound of a bell knelling; a toll (particularly one signalling a death).
- Grammar: knell is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: annihilation, bane, bell, bemoan.
- Useful contrasts: beginning, birth, flourish.
- Usage evidence: Apparently "the iPhone sounds the death knell for the Internet."
How to use "knell"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "knell" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "knell" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "knell" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "knell" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "knell" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "annihilation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "knell", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The sound of a bell knelling; a toll (particularly one signalling a death).
"[…]he is able to pierce a corselet with his eye; talks like a knell, and his hum is a battery."
- 2 the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death or a funeral or the end of something wordnet
- 3 A sign of the end or demise of something or someone. figuratively
"But at the close of the war there was less thought of what [Britain] had retained than of what she had lost. She was parted from her American Colonies; and at the moment such a parting seemed to be the knell of her greatness."
Verb
- 1 To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll. intransitive
"I’ll make thee sick at heart, before I leave thee, And groan, and die indeed, and be worth nothing, Not worth a blessing nor a bell to knell for thee […]"
- 2 make (bells) ring, often for the purposes of musical edification wordnet
- 3 To signal or proclaim something (especially a death) by ringing a bell. transitive
"Let thy friends be as the dead in doom, And build to them a final tomb; Let the starred shade that nightly falls Still celebrate their funerals, And the bell of beetle and of bee Knell their melodious memory."
- 4 ring as in announcing death wordnet
- 5 To summon by, or as if by, ringing a bell. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Apparently "the iPhone sounds the death knell for the Internet.""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "knell"?
Common synonyms include: annihilation, bane, bell, bemoan, bewail, biological death.
How do you use "knell" in a sentence?
Apparently "the iPhone sounds the death knell for the Internet."
How do you pronounce "knell"?
Pronounced /nel/.
Etymology
From Middle English knyllen, from Old English cnyllan (“to strike; knock; clap”), from Proto-West Germanic *knuʀlijan, from Proto-Germanic *knuzlijaną (“to beat; push; mash”), from Proto-Indo-European *gen- (“to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up”).