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View synonyms for

knell

[ nel ]

noun

  1. the sound made by a bell rung slowly, especially for a death or a funeral.
  2. a sound or sign announcing the death of a person or the end, extinction, failure, etc., of something:

    the knell of parting day.

  3. any mournful sound.


verb (used without object)

  1. to sound, as a bell, especially a funeral bell.
  2. to give forth a mournful, ominous, or warning sound.

verb (used with object)

  1. to proclaim or summon by, or as if by, a bell.

knell

/ ɛ /

noun

  1. the sound of a bell rung to announce a death or a funeral
  2. something that precipitates or indicates death or destruction
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. intr to ring a knell
  2. tr to proclaim or announce by or as if by a tolling bell
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • ܲ·Ա adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of knell1

before 950; (noun) Middle English knel, Old English cynll; (v.) Middle English knellen, knyllen, Old English cynllan; cognate with Old Norse knylla to beat, strike; akin to Dutch knal bang, knallen to bang, German Knall explosion, knallen to explode
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Word History and Origins

Origin of knell1

Old English cnyll; related to Middle High German ü to strike, Dutch knallen to bang
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Idioms and Phrases

see death knell .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

This is not a "winner takes all market", says Mr Bisen, giving the example of e-commerce which came into India in 2010 and was meant to sound the death knell of local retailers.

From

In fact, the regular watering that most vegetables need to thrive can be a death knell to native perennials, especially in late summer, when many go dormant.

From

But for Le Pen, this could be the death knell of her long-cherished ambition to become French president.

From

The death knell was the wretched failure of Christian nationalism as a governing style.

From

One senior Arab source told me it could be its "death knell".

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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kneidelKneller