knelt
ˈnelt 
or kneeled; kneeling
or kneeled; kneeling
: to position the body so that one or both knees rest on the floor
The prisoners were ordered to kneel.
: to fall or rest on the knees
She kneeled on the floor next to the child.
Examples of kneel in a Sentence
She was kneeling on the floor beside her child.
He was kneeling in front of the altar and praying.
Recent Examples on the Web
In bystander video posted to social media, four sheriff’s deputies can be seen kneeling on top of a man who is lying face down on the gravel outside a car.
—
Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Images of him kneeling on the floor, in a suit and a surgical mask, picking up empty water bottles and scraps of paper, went viral and came to encapsulate everything Trumpism was not.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
When a kicker boots the ball into the endzone, the opposing team's returner can choose to kneel rather than attempt a return; the result is called a touchback, and the returning team would receive the ball at the 25-yard line.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 27 Mar. 2024
In one of the photos posted by the department, Elkin kneeled on the ground while embracing Recardito.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
Former Giants manager Gabe Kapler kneeled several times in protest over the death of George Floyd in 2020 and didn’t take to the field for the national anthem in the 2022 season in response to that year’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024
The drawing, one of six works on paper on display, shows a seated woman embracing a child kneeling in front of her, arms wrapped around her ample waist in an enveloping hug.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Three years before Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck, body-camera video caught him kneeling on the necks of others.
—Eric Umansky, ProPublica, 26 Jan. 2024
Cloud approaches a kneeling Aerith in the Forgotten Capital, where she’s run off to pray for a way to defeat Sephiroth.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Images of him kneeling on the floor, in a suit and a surgical mask, picking up empty water bottles and scraps of paper, went viral and came to encapsulate everything Trumpism was not.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
When a kicker boots the ball into the endzone, the opposing team's returner can choose to kneel rather than attempt a return; the result is called a touchback, and the returning team would receive the ball at the 25-yard line.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 27 Mar. 2024
In one of the photos posted by the department, Elkin kneeled on the ground while embracing Recardito.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
Former Giants manager Gabe Kapler kneeled several times in protest over the death of George Floyd in 2020 and didn’t take to the field for the national anthem in the 2022 season in response to that year’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024
The drawing, one of six works on paper on display, shows a seated woman embracing a child kneeling in front of her, arms wrapped around her ample waist in an enveloping hug.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Three years before Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck, body-camera video caught him kneeling on the necks of others.
—Eric Umansky, ProPublica, 26 Jan. 2024
Cloud approaches a kneeling Aerith in the Forgotten Capital, where she’s run off to pray for a way to defeat Sephiroth.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kneel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near kneel
Cite this Entry
“Kneel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kneel. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share