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
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
The stark acknowledgment likely signals the official death knell of the 2019 agreement that largely stopped the two states from swiping Kansas City metro businesses from one another.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Dec. 2025
That should be a death knell for nearly any team, much less one in a reset year.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
However, Seymour views Medicare coverage as a catalyst for merger and acquisition activity rather than an immediate death knell.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knell
Noun
Intriguingly, while many predicted that the COVID shutdown would sound the death knell for much of the music instrument and equipment industries, North American sales for 2021 rose 20 percent to set an all-time record of $8,906,561,000.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
The stark acknowledgment likely signals the official death knell of the 2019 agreement that largely stopped the two states from swiping Kansas City metro businesses from one another.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Dec. 2025
That should be a death knell for nearly any team, much less one in a reset year.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
However, Seymour views Medicare coverage as a catalyst for merger and acquisition activity rather than an immediate death knell.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell
Verb
-
What’s changed is the cultural environment in which these wan pleas ring out.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Henard walked down the corridor, bells ringing all around him, to the double doors heading out, where Ivy gave him his own bell to ring, right there.—
Caleb Hellerman,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Juvenile bliss had long contoured this abrasive band, whose songs rattled like playgrounds, and whose shouts rang like the peals of petulant children.—
Samuel Hyland,
Pitchfork,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The silence of the lake—save for the gentle peal of church bells on Sunday mornings and the plop of ducks plunging beneath the water surface—is a rare and unforgettable pleasure.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For Jim Paulsen, the real recession indicator is watching Walmart.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The latest data was published in the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s yearly economic indicators report, which offered an overall bleak picture of the Bay Area economy, including declining buying power among residents and deepening office vacancies in the city.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bells at Westminster Abbey—where his parents had married over two years prior—tolled continuously for three hours in celebration.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Since Eichenberg spent the 2025 season on PUP, his one-year contract signed to return to Miami at the end of his four-year rookie deal tolled into 2026.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In North Carolina, a juvenile was shot in the leg after a homeowner fired at a vehicle during a late-night ding-dong ditch-style prank, according to police.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
17 Jan. 2026
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Legal experts note people playing ding-dong ditch can also face charges, with offenses ranging from criminal trespass to disorderly conduct.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There’s also a signal for modest instability nearby, particularly along the Gulf Coast.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
For more recommendations on improving your Wi-Fi, check out our guides to boosting your Wi-Fi signal and optimizing your network for the best performance.—
Iyaz Akhtar,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That sense of normalcy largely held until Wednesday evening, when emergency alerts began chiming on phones across Riyadh, warning residents of an aerial threat and instructing them to remain indoors and away from windows.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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In mid-March, Michel-Amadry paid tribute to that legacy with the introduction of the Minute Repeater Flying Bridges, a $590,000 rose-gold chiming watch produced in a maximum of eight pieces.—
Victoria Gomelsky,
Robb Report,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Cloudy chords, meditative tintinnabulation, the whoosh of wind and rain, blocks of iridescent brass — all these discrete sonorities trundled by, like a train of boxcars with panoramas painted on their sides.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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