KNELL Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

knell 1 of 2

verb

Definition of knell

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

as in peal

Related Words

as in indicator

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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

But the death knell for Casad’s crops was Oregon’s century-old law, which protects some water users at the expense of others. — Emily Cureton Cook, ProPublica, 26 June 2026 Even in the Upper South, a higher-than-usual temperature and drought combo can be a death knell for gardens. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 June 2026 The financial strife seemed like a death knell for one of the city’s largest redevelopment projects, an effort Stammel spent years helping to engineer. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 11 June 2026 The death knell for Riverstone was a pair of amendments lawmakers passed in the last few days of this spring’s legislative session. — Ann Schimke, Denver Post, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for knell

Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell

Verb

With boos and jeers ringing around Expo Idaho at the referees, AC Boise continued to pepper the Portland box with dangerous crosses and shots.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 18 July 2026
Seales recalled seeing the victim’s cell phone ringing on the ground as her family tried to contact her.

— Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026

Definition of ring

Verb

At twilight, the bell began to toll again, erratic, like a spoon pinging the side of a coffee cup.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Bells tolled through the misty Alpine mountain valley as hundreds of priests walked two by two to the altar under a tent to start the service and then again at the end.

— Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of toll

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

Definition of ding-dong

Noun

This signal reached Earth as a continuous invitation to fellowship, and the record-breaking viewership of Artemis II built like a slow cooker feast, with global engagement increasing from launch to splashdown.

— Aparna Venkatesan, Space.com, 20 July 2026
Very early in the morning, however, the moon will make a series of aspects — with Mars, Saturn and Mercury retrograde — that could potentially trigger everything from feelings of restlessness to emotional reactions due to mixed signals.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026

Definition of signal

Verb

That chimes with the European Central Bank's ambition of a single banking jurisdiction, with capital and liquidity able to move freely within cross-border groups and depositors enjoying equal protection.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Sunlight chimed off Rubber Hand’s hatchet blade.

— Will Mackin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026

Definition of chime

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

Definition of tintinnabulation

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kneesocks

knell

knelled

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“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of knell

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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