knell
noun
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Definition of knell
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
knell
verbDefinition of knell (Entry 2 of 2)
: to summon or announce by or as if by a knell
1 : to ring especially for a death, funeral, or disaster : toll
2 : to sound in an ominous manner or with an ominous effect
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Examples of knell in a Sentence
Verb
the church bells knelled to mark the death of the nation's beloved leaderRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
For some, the day Donald Trump was elected U.S. president sounded the death knell for the Iran nuclear deal (or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA, as it is formally known). — Tom Keatinge, Time, "Another Death Knell for the Iran Nuclear Deal," 4 July 2018 Failure to fix Dublin could sound the death knell for check-free travel and easy cross-border business across Europe — the two crowning achievements of the bloc. — Washington Post, "Disputed policies on migrants are the top threat to EU unity," 16 June 2018 The 2017 game was the death knell for the Jim McElwain era in Gainesville. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "The Best Games of Every Week of the 2018 Season," 15 Jan. 2018 The killing, or bleaching, of the algae — which have a symbiotic relationship with the coral — is a death knell for the whole structure. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Hawaii to ban sunscreen that damages coral," 7 July 2018 Those words are a death knell for a designer who built a brand on those exact ideals. — Cam Wolf, GQ, "Bottega Veneta Designer Tomas Maier Departs," 14 June 2018 Moseley’s retirement in 1986 was the death knell for a style, and also for an era. — Michael Farber, SI.com, "Mark Moseley, Last of the Straight-On Kickers," 2 July 2018 Ford itself pulled out of the city a little over two decades ago amid a looming financial crisis, potentially sounding the death knell for the city’s economic prospects. — Alex Bazeley, Curbed, "Ford taps Snøhetta to design new downtown Detroit campus," 26 June 2018 Systrom’s death knell for any video that isn’t vertical may be premature. — Louise Matsakis, WIRED, "With IGTV, Instagram Takes Aim at YouTube," 20 June 2018These 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.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Trending: CNN: Timing of leaked tape...
Trending: CNN: Timing of leaked tape could be “death knell"
Dictionary lookups of knell spike after speculation over the future of the Trump campaign
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Trending Words from Election 2016
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More Definitions for knell
knell
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of knell
: a sound of a bell when it is rung slowly because someone has died
knell
noun
\
Kids Definition of knell
1 : a stroke or sound of a bell especially when rung slowly for a death, funeral, or disaster
2 : an indication of the end or failure of something “… it sounds the death knell of our society.”— Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
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