kneel

verb

\ˈnēl

\

knelt\ˈnelt

\ or kneeled; kneeling

Definition of kneel

intransitive verb

: 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

Among adults ages 50 and older, 63 percent say kneeling during the anthem is never appropriate, compared with 50 percent among those ages 30-49 and 38 percent of people ages 18-29. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump wins a battle in the culture war as NFL owners cave on national anthem protests," 24 May 2018 On the other hand, kneeling isn’t against the rules. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Cincinnati Reds looked minor league last night against St. Louis Cardinals," 13 Apr. 2018 The company got a taste of that last year, when Schnatter stepped down as CEO after blaming disappointing pizza sales on the outcry surrounding football players kneeling during the national anthem. — Candice Choi, chicagotribune.com, "Papa John's starts pulling founder's image from marketing," 13 July 2018 Papa John's got a taste of that last year, when Schnatter stepped down as CEO after blaming disappointing pizza sales on the outcry surrounding football players kneeling during the national anthem. — Candace Choi, Cincinnati.com, "Papa John's to pull founder from marketing after racial slur reports," 13 July 2018 Papa John's got a taste of that last year, when Schnatter stepped down as CEO after blaming disappointing pizza sales on the outcry surrounding football players kneeling during the national anthem. — Candice Choi, Fox News, "Papa John's to take John Schnatter's face off its marketing materials," 13 July 2018 The company got a taste of that last year, when Schnatter stepped down as CEO after blaming disappointing pizza sales on the outcry surrounding football players kneeling during the national anthem. — courant.com, "Papa John's is pulling founder's image from its marketing," 13 July 2018 Papa John's got a taste of that last year, when Schnatter stepped down as CEO after blaming disappointing pizza sales on the outcry surrounding football players kneeling during the national anthem. — Candice Choi, USA TODAY, "Papa John's to pull founder John Schnatter's image from marketing over racial slur," 13 July 2018 The company got a taste of that last year, when Schnatter stepped down as CEO after blaming disappointing pizza sales on the outcry surrounding football players kneeling during the national anthem. — NBC News, "Papa John's pulling founder's image from marketing after racial slur report," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kneel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for kneel

Last Updated

17 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for kneel

The first known use of kneel was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for kneel

kneel

verb

English Language Learners Definition of kneel

: to move your body so that one or both of your knees are on the floor : to be in a position in which both of your knees are on the floor

See the full definition for kneel in the English Language Learners Dictionary

kneel

verb

\ˈnēl

\

knelt\ˈnelt \ or kneeled\ˈnēld \; kneeling

Kids Definition of kneel

: to support the body on the knees

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