knell

1 of 2

noun

1
: a stroke or sound of a bell especially when rung slowly (as for a death, funeral, or disaster)
2
: an indication of the end or the failure of something
sounded the death knell for our hopes

knell

2 of 2

verb

knelled; knelling; knells

transitive verb

: to summon or announce by or as if by a knell

intransitive verb

1
: to ring especially for a death, funeral, or disaster : toll
2
: to sound in an ominous manner or with an ominous effect

Examples of knell in a Sentence

Verb the church bells knelled to mark the death of the nation's beloved leader
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Would-be buyers of older setups should know that most consumer electronics from the early solid-state era—the mid-1960s into the ’80s, when transistors appeared to be the death knell for vacuum tubes—sounded awful then and sound even worse today. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2025 The experiment failed almost immediately, but its death knell occurred on October 7. David Friedman, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025
Verb
Day 18: Hard to focus with all the death knells tolling. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2020 See All Example Sentences for knell

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English cnyllan; akin to Middle High German erknellen to toll

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of knell was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knell. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

knell

1 of 2 verb
1
: to ring slowly and solemnly especially for a death, funeral, or disaster : toll
2
: to summon, announce, or warn by a knell

knell

2 of 2 noun
1
: a stroke or sound of a bell especially when rung slowly for a death, funeral, or disaster
2
: an indication (as a sound) of the end or failure of something

More from Merriam-Webster on knell

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