knell 1 of 2

verb

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

1
as in peal

Related Words
2
as in indicator

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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
Both reversals amounted to a financial death knell for his campaign. — Terry Collins, USA Today, 7 July 2026 Comparisons with first in class are often the death knell for new kids on the block. — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 3 July 2026 Shares of the software companies were up after Guggenheim upgraded both to buy, believing that artificial intelligence won't be a death knell for the companies and attractive valuations in the stocks. — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 1 July 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for knell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell
  1. ring
  2. peal
  3. indicator
  4. toll
  5. ding-dong
  6. signal
  7. chime
  8. tintinnabulation
Verb
  • The boos repeatedly rang out Friday night when Bregman stepped into the batter’s box during Seattle’s 10-inning victory.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Right now, talking to you, my phone would have already rung twice and I‘d be talking to recruits or a donor or an agent or to a kid on my team who was having a problem with their girlfriend or wanted to transfer.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of ring
Noun
  • 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
  • In Parliament Square, the music was drowned out by the peals of Westminster Abbey.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
Definition of peal
Noun
  • Relative strength index Another momentum indicator is the RSI, or relative strength index.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
  • First published in 2003, the ARWU relies on six indicators of academic and research performance to evaluate universities around the world.
    — Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of indicator
Verb
  • In the final scene of the season 1 finale, the church bell tolls eight times — meaning that the town is now demanding eight sacrifices to honor the centuries-old pact.
    — Emma Banks, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The video’s moodiness subtly underscores the fact that the lion’s share of these tracks are built on one muffled breakbeat, which tolls like clockwork across the LP.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 23 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
  • These tankers may be turning off their tracking signals to avoid detection, experts told CNN.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The company announced in 2025 that interactions with its generative AI features could become signals for the content and ads people see across Meta products.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of signal
Verb
  • Department store Macy’s highlights sporty prep, statement sneakers, denim, and activewear as key trends for the 2026 back-to-school period, chiming with analyst predictions.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Soon after the post went up, Grado said, her Venmo started chiming.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 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

Browse Nearby Words

kneesocks
knell
knelled
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Cite this Entry

“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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