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
knelled; knelling; knells
: 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
Examples of knell in a Sentence
Verb
the church bells knelled to mark the death of the nation's beloved leader
Recent Examples on the Web
Dave Kim, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
With lower commissions, which some real estate agents’ livelihoods depend on, there’s been some speculation that this could be the death knell for real estate agents.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
But higher-for-longer rates are far from a death knell for stocks.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024
But Frost does not consider that to be a death knell.
—Dean Spiros, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2024
These ad hoc intrastate compacts are a red flag and should serve as a warning to other states throughout the country: cleverly crafted artificial wage inflations could spell a death knell for job availability, crush the competitive spirit, and inadvertently hike prices, punishing the consumer.
—Patrick M. Brenner, National Review, 2 Feb. 2024
Tuesday proved to be the likely death knell for Haley’s campaign.
—USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Again, in the early 2000s, executives predicted digital piracy enabled by peer-to-peer sites like Napster would be the death knell of music.
—Elijah Clark, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
The result is a slow-but-steady death knell, with everything from V8 Chevrolet Camaros and Dodge Challengers to advanced supercars from McLaren turning to turbochargers and fewer cylinders.
—Karl Brauer, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2020
Noun
But many readers still took it as a death knell for the novel.
—Dave Kim, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
With lower commissions, which some real estate agents’ livelihoods depend on, there’s been some speculation that this could be the death knell for real estate agents.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
But higher-for-longer rates are far from a death knell for stocks.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024
But Frost does not consider that to be a death knell.
—Dean Spiros, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2024
These ad hoc intrastate compacts are a red flag and should serve as a warning to other states throughout the country: cleverly crafted artificial wage inflations could spell a death knell for job availability, crush the competitive spirit, and inadvertently hike prices, punishing the consumer.
—Patrick M. Brenner, National Review, 2 Feb. 2024
Tuesday proved to be the likely death knell for Haley’s campaign.
—USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Again, in the early 2000s, executives predicted digital piracy enabled by peer-to-peer sites like Napster would be the death knell of music.
—Elijah Clark, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
The result is a slow-but-steady death knell, with everything from V8 Chevrolet Camaros and Dodge Challengers to advanced supercars from McLaren turning to turbochargers and fewer cylinders.
—Karl Brauer, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
Day 18: Hard to focus with all the death knells tolling.
—Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near knell
Cite this Entry
“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knell. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
knell
2 of 2 noun1
: a stroke or sound of a bell especially when rung slowly for a death, funeral, or disaster
2
: an indication (as a sound) of the end or failure of something
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