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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as in indicator
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knell
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
The stark acknowledgment likely signals the official death knell of the 2019 agreement that largely stopped the two states from swiping Kansas City metro businesses from one another.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Dec. 2025
That should be a death knell for nearly any team, much less one in a reset year.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
However, Seymour views Medicare coverage as a catalyst for merger and acquisition activity rather than an immediate death knell.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knell
Noun
Intriguingly, while many predicted that the COVID shutdown would sound the death knell for much of the music instrument and equipment industries, North American sales for 2021 rose 20 percent to set an all-time record of $8,906,561,000.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
The stark acknowledgment likely signals the official death knell of the 2019 agreement that largely stopped the two states from swiping Kansas City metro businesses from one another.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Dec. 2025
That should be a death knell for nearly any team, much less one in a reset year.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
However, Seymour views Medicare coverage as a catalyst for merger and acquisition activity rather than an immediate death knell.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell
Verb
-
Vonn lost control within moments of leaving the start house, clipping a gate with her right shoulder and pinwheeling down the slope before ending up awkwardly on her back, her skis crisscrossed below her and her screams ringing out soon after medical personnel arrived.—
ANDREW DAMPF,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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Vonn lost control within moments of leaving the start house, clipping a gate with her right shoulder and pinwheeling down the slope before ending up awkwardly on her back, her skis crisscrossed below her and her screams ringing out soon after medical personnel arrived.—
Andrew Dampf,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This last part seemed to be a joke, eliciting a peal of laughter from his wife.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Amid grills cooking savory barbecue, bubbles blowing from an ice cream truck, face painting and peals of laughter from kids in a nearby bouncy house, Justine Mosely Stephens was struggling not to tear up.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
6 July 2025
Noun
-
These 5-second, 10-second and shot-clock turnovers are a good indicator of the aggressive style of full-court defense that Texas liked to play.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Because precious metals purchases often involve direct interaction with company representatives, responsiveness and service quality are important indicators of reliability.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But the bell started tolling in 2019, during Mayor Catherine Pugh’s book scandal.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The bells in the church nearby are tolling.—
Rocío Muñoz-Ledo,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In North Carolina, a juvenile was shot in the leg after a homeowner fired at a vehicle during a late-night ding-dong ditch-style prank, according to police.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
17 Jan. 2026
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Legal experts note people playing ding-dong ditch can also face charges, with offenses ranging from criminal trespass to disorderly conduct.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Improvements in image recognition enable them to detect diagnostic signals that clinicians often overlook.—
Chris Pope,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Unlike athletes who have a team of specialists interpreting their pain signals, everyday exercisers generally try to override their pain without interpretation.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Until now, with the dark electronica of the original pairing perfectly with Def Leppard’s chiming guitars and a flurry of white lights added to the vibe.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The imagery of the song chimes with some of Bowie’s deepest spiritual preoccupations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 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
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Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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