knell 1 of 2

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

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
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 This used to be a death knell—the shoes that fit the bill were hideous until a few years ago. Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 31 May 2026 The regular appearance of major celebrities on such programs is a death knell for the traditional late-night programs, which once were the place to see celebrities in more relaxed fashion. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 May 2026 Some might argue that inflation was the death knell of sustainable fashion. Elizabeth Cline, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for knell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell
Verb
  • When that happened, on July 4, 1778, locals rang the old bell, which had been delivered up the Mississippi from New Orleans, and for a long time locals stored the bell inside the church.
    Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Fans launched their beer in the air when the final whistle rang out.
    Eleanor Nash July 4, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
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
  • Magaletti ventures a tentative introduction of brushes on snares; following the muted peal of distant thunder, upsammy chimes in with a plangent synthesizer sequence reminiscent of Arovane and other IDM producers from around the turn of the millennium.
    Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Also, an indicator of sorts for where their flirtationship is headed.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 June 2026
  • Another great indicator of a ripe melon is a golden color.
    Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Shippers and producers have grown increasingly concerned about the prospect that Iran will seek to toll the strait in future, after the memorandum of understanding signed with the US said only that transit would be free for the duration of its 60-day term.
    Alex Longley, Fortune, 20 June 2026
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
  • 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
Noun
  • Swollen or tender nodes at the neck, armpits or groin signal that the body’s filtration sites are overloaded or actively fighting something, per Cleveland Clinic.
    Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2026
  • The website tracks only vessels with active transponders, meaning additional ships may have crossed with their signals switched off.
    Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • Sunlight chimed off Rubber Hand’s hatchet blade.
    Will Mackin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • So far, in 2026, luxury experiences continue to outperform personal luxury goods for consumer sentiment by 150%, per Bain data, chiming with a broader departure from ownership to experiences.
    Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 25 June 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
  • Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021

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Cite this Entry

“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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