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
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Dec. 2025
Not being a regular starter in MLS in the run-up to the World Cup might be a death knell to those dreams.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2025
When it isn't removed, rust can actually be the death knell of a favorite piece.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2025
Critics, on the other hand, see them as a potential death knell for social media.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knell
Noun
Some studio executives Friday expressed their fear that the Netflix purchase of Warner Bros meant a death knell for theatrical and its downstream model, which generates money perpetually for any studio through library titles via various global windows.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Dec. 2025
Not being a regular starter in MLS in the run-up to the World Cup might be a death knell to those dreams.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2025
When it isn't removed, rust can actually be the death knell of a favorite piece.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2025
Critics, on the other hand, see them as a potential death knell for social media.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell
Verb
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Chants of peace rang out around the California Capitol Sunday as hundreds of people rallied in support of Cambodia amid tensions with neighboring country Thailand.—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
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Elsewhere in the city, loud bangs rang out and agents fired pepper balls at a much smaller crowd of protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, where demonstrators have been confronting ICE agents during daily protests.—
Hanna Park,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Amid grills cooking savory barbecue, bubbles blowing from an ice cream truck, face painting and peals of laughter from kids in a nearby bouncy house, Justine Mosely Stephens was struggling not to tear up.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
6 July 2025
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As two peals of thunder cracked overhead, all live television feeds from the site went dead.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2025
Noun
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One of the clearest indicators of this shift is the recent uptick in hedge fund launches.—
Carrie McCabe,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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Confidence among CFOs improved somewhat, but remained below its historic average, and the key indicators point to caution at their firms, according to the findings.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As the bell tolled, silver confetti burst over the bar, showering patrons in the festivities.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
2 Dec. 2025
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The bells in the church nearby are tolling.—
Rocío Muñoz-Ledo,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
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Earlier this year, an 11-year-old boy in Houston was shot and killed while playing the seemingly harmless prank of ding-dong-ditch.—
Stephanie Murray,
USA Today,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
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After that, Congress paid for a lighthouse and fog signal to be installed here, which came to be known as the Split Rock Lighthouse.—
Cailey Rizzo,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Jan. 2026
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TransUnion says that can happen using device intelligence, IP analysis, and cross-platform fraud signals to find risk without impeding the consumers’ user experience.—
Jasmine Browley,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The tradition involves eating a grape on every clock gong before midnight—so yes, that means eating one grape every second when the clock starts chiming.—
Fiona Ward,
Glamour,
31 Dec. 2025
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London As Big Ben chimed midnight, London celebrated 2026 with fireworks over the River Thames.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
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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 21 Jan. 2026.
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