as in to ring
to make the clear sound heard when metal vibrates
the church bells knelled to mark the death of the nation's beloved leader
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in indicator
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knell
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
The potential death knell for an armada of space discovery missions has been reverberating not just across NASA, but also throughout the U.S. universities that help conceive or design these flights.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 3 July 2025
Day 18: Hard to focus with all the death knells tolling.
—Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for knell
Verb
And the federal raid of the Murder Inc. offices on money laundering charges in 2003 was a death knell.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
The potential death knell for an armada of space discovery missions has been reverberating not just across NASA, but also throughout the U.S. universities that help conceive or design these flights.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
Noun
An enthralling photo of Shelton knelling on one knee holding out a ring toward a flabbergasted Berdomas has over 15 million views on X largely due to the massive twister behind them.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 3 July 2025
Day 18: Hard to focus with all the death knells tolling.
—Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for knell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell
Verb
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All at once, Mendoza’s felt the sudden shock of impact, and his ears began ringing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
-
Inside the white fence that rings the field, uncomfortably close to the action, the owners unfold deck chairs and settle in with their grandchildren cross-legged on the floor around them.—
Camilla Wright,
semafor.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Amid grills cooking savory barbecue, bubbles blowing from an ice cream truck, face painting and peals of laughter from kids in a nearby bouncy house, Justine Mosely Stephens was struggling not to tear up.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
6 July 2025
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Amal wore a strapless white Tamara Ralph Haute Couture gown which was draped in peals from top to bottom, with some wrapped around her arms below the shoulder.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2025
Noun
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But Burke, with the mining association, pointed to two recent positive indicators for the industry: more U.S. coal getting exported overseas and a surge in the amount of electricity generated by burning coal during the first four months of 2025 compared with the same period last year.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
8 July 2025
-
Mellinger now worries the department will not be able to meet its five-year goals for key performance indicators, which measure progress on the county’s biggest public health challenges.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
7 July 2025
Verb
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This time, Topping will dive deeper into the lives of the pioneers who built and shaped mountain life—from farmers and school founders to toll road operators and healers.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
6 July 2025
-
What to Know Eby talked about the possibility of tolling U.S. commercial trucks passing through British Columbia on their way to Alaska on the lawn of the Legislative Assembly building in Victoria this week.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Bomer is good when Jerry the ding-dong must navigate a moment of real sentiment or complication; the juxtaposition is effective.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
-
That was a fantastically exciting ding-dong 2-2 — with Atletico missing a 99th penalty and eventually being eliminated from the Champions League after the group stage.—
Dermot Corrigan,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Matches and a lighter can help start fire to act as an emergency signal in times of need.—
Helena Wegner
July 14,
Sacbee.com,
14 July 2025
-
Corporate adoption: Companies allocating funds to Bitcoin signal mainstream acceptance.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
The cellphone chimed, a surprise on a hot, lazy Sunday evening when few emails announce themselves.—
Scott Craven,
AZCentral.com,
10 July 2025
-
The 58-year-old was anchoring his Anderson Cooper 360° show from an outdoor terrace in Tel Aviv with CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward and Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond when their phones simultaneously chimed with an alert.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Though this installation of tintinnabulation has been a feature of the garden for more than a decade, some frequent visitors only noticed the chimes this summer, when a small crew recently installed them in a large linden tree adjacent to Parade Stadium.—
Kim Hyatt,
Star Tribune,
23 July 2021
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Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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