knell 1 of 2

Definition of knellnext
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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knell

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of knell
Noun
For a big-market, win-now team like the Sparks, mediocrity is a death knell. Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 The result is a death knell for the only indispensable element in self-help, which is the author’s authority. Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 Some Black Americans who were part of the Civil Rights Movement saw the decision as a death knell for a crown jewel of the Voting Rights Act. ABC News, 14 July 2026 Comparisons with first in class are often the death knell for new kids on the block. Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for knell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell
Verb
  • The boos that rang round Old Trafford on Wednesday have become a familiar sound in recent times.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Much like a tuning fork, the resonator also rings when struck.
    Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • One of the more surreal responses to that experience is applause, which ripples through the audience of Paranormal Activity a beat after all the major scares, like rain settling in after a peal of thunder.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Assuming the role of a human clapper, Holzinger struck its lip again and again, sending a sonorous peal across the Biennale grounds.
    Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • Researching Municipal Infrastructure And Development Public and private investments are another indicator of a potential real estate boom.
    Justin Donald, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • With support nearby at the 200-day MA and short-term indicators turning higher, the stock looks positioned for a rebound associated with outperformance versus the SPX.
    Katie Stockton, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • As the names of the dead are read out, and bells tolled at tragic moments, backs may also be turned.
    Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Fire departments will toll bells and lay wreaths at the exact minutes the towers were struck.
    The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • If, however, Madrid find themselves in end-to-end ding-dongs next season — the kind that Guardiola spent his career, and particularly his final season at City, trying to avoid — then Bernardo may not be the man for the occasion.
    Sam Lee, New York Times, 23 June 2026
  • Hopefully, now this kid can stop being a moody ass little ding-dong about it.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 May 2026
Noun
  • The optical signal then follows the original microwave excitation coherently.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • That signal broadcasts through the air to the nearest cell tower, where it gets channeled through a complex network of cables.
    Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Two bells chimed during the ceremony and there was a wreath-laying at the Flight 93 memorial.
    Kaanita Iyer, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The latter provides enough power in grande sonnerie mode for a total of 616 notes (equivalent to seven hours and 30 minutes of continuous chiming) and in petite sonnerie mode for a maximum of 992 notes—equivalent to 32 hours of chiming.
    Carol Besler, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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