knell

noun \ ˈnel \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of knell

1 : a stroke or sound of a bell especially when rung slowly (as for a death, funeral, or disaster)

2 : an indication of the end or the failure of something

sounded the death knell for our hopes

See knell defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of knell from the Web

The e-book, once seen as the death knell of the traditional book, is looking more like a complement to it, now — useful on business trips, but not entirely satisfying on a sunny Sunday morning, curled up on the couch.

— david scharfenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Paper checks forever?," 21 Apr. 2018
It was widely seen as a death knell for the governor's political career.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "How the heck is Eric Greitens still the governor of Missouri?," 17 Apr. 2018
Today, his sharp suit acts as a sort of visual death knell to that control.

— brooke bobb, Vogue, "Why Mark Zuckerberg’s Suit Should Be a Wake-Up Call for Aspiring Tech Brainiacs Everywhere," 10 Apr. 2018
The death knell tolled at 5:44 p.m. on Saturday evening, signaling another postseason missed, another early summer and another year without a Stanley Cup.

— matthew defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Panthers eliminated from postseason contention by Philadelphia's win," 7 Apr. 2018
And so, Upton, born in Michigan no less and seemingly pretty comfortable in those Tigers hats all those years, provided the death knell, so to speak, to the Tigers' run as playoff contenders.

— kirkland crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Kate Upton green-lit Justin Verlander-Detroit Tigers trade: 'Hell yeah'," 26 Mar. 2018
Although Clark's mid-range jumpers broke it, the death knell was another three, which was taken by Buffalo's Nick Perkins, a 6-8 inside player.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "MAC Championship: Buffalo outguns Toledo, 76-66: Bill Livingston," 10 Mar. 2018
But Alabama's supporters suffered more, for this was the Tide's fifth consecutive defeat and possibly the death knell for its NCAA tournament chances as the regular season came to a close.

— rainer sabin, AL.com, "Alabama falls to Texas A&M in wretched finale," 3 Mar. 2018
Moreover, anyone sounding the death knell of liberalism has to deal with its unprecedented and ongoing success — a fact that Deneen acknowledges but which can get lost in page after page of articulate despair.

— park macdougald, Daily Intelligencer, "Has the Operating System for the Western World Crashed?," 27 Feb. 2018

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