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
Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025
But Yang said more research is needed, and the discovery of the new dwarf planet candidate is not necessarily a death knell for Planet Nine.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 4 June 2025
Being the new series that aired months ago can often be an Emmys death knell, but those precursor nominations could be a way to lock Nobody Wants This onto voters’ radar.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2025
This week, Riley Green offers up a smoldering heartbreaker of a song, while Dolly Parton reunites with bluegrass group The Grascals on an uplifting new track, and HARDY and ERNEST team up for a new song sounding a death knell for bro country.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for knell
Verb
The end of the Civil War marked a death knell for the men’s compatriots fighting on land, but here, on the fringes of the Arctic, their ship was gaining momentum.
—Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025
But Yang said more research is needed, and the discovery of the new dwarf planet candidate is not necessarily a death knell for Planet Nine.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 4 June 2025
Being the new series that aired months ago can often be an Emmys death knell, but those precursor nominations could be a way to lock Nobody Wants This onto voters’ radar.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2025
This week, Riley Green offers up a smoldering heartbreaker of a song, while Dolly Parton reunites with bluegrass group The Grascals on an uplifting new track, and HARDY and ERNEST team up for a new song sounding a death knell for bro country.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for knell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell
Verb
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When the shot rang out, Nathalie tried to reach her daughter, but the melee of panicked runners forced her out a side gate.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Democrats did not get very far into this new wave of 2024 second-guessing before a gunshot rang out in Utah.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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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Layoffs, a concerning indicator of a potential downturn, haven’t yet accelerated.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
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The most severe drop was in press freedom when compared with five years ago, but the indicator for the credibility of elections was at its lowest in 30 years.—
Matthew Tostevin
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One tolled for the lives lost when the towers collapsed.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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In Gozo, residents peacefully sweep their doorsteps while church bells toll distantly in the background.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The spate of ding-dong-ditch killings has led some authorities to urge kids and teens not to do the prank at all.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
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In 2020, three 16-year-olds were killed when a man rammed his car into their vehicle in retaliation for pulling a ding-dong-ditch prank on him.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Economists have ramped up calls for Beijing to unleash fiscal support as fresh data signals mounting economic strains.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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For families across the country, the hope is that New Mexico isn’t an outlier, but a signal of what’s possible when childcare is treated as both an economic driver and a family necessity.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After a few seconds, the base chimed and the app confirmed a successful pairing.—
John R. Delaney,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
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Jolie’s performance, which chimes with her experience as a filmmaker and her personal health struggles, is particularly moving.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Oct. 2021
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Two dozen billiard balls roll on tracks, striking a series of devices that set off a tintinnabulation of bells, chimes and metallic clinks.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
1 Aug. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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