kneel

verb

ˈnēl 

knelt ˈnelt  or kneeled; kneeling

intransitive verb

: to position the body so that one or both knees rest on the floor

The prisoners were ordered to kneel.

: to fall or rest on the knees

She kneeled on the floor next to the child.

Examples of kneel in a Sentence

She was kneeling on the floor beside her child.

He was kneeling in front of the altar and praying.

Recent Examples on the Web

Once in front of them, James took off his wristband and put it on the child before kneeling down and posing for a picture with her. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025

Players on both teams were seen kneeling to give support to Doubs. —James Brizuela, Newsweek, 12 Jan. 2025

One of the Post’s cartoonists quit last week, accusing her bosses of blocking a cartoon that showed Bezos and other tech billionaires kneeling before Trump. —Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025

Another man seen kneeling before Trump, holding up a lipstick tube, represents Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire publisher and owner of the Los Angeles Times newspaper. —Dan Mangan,annie Palmer, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English knelen, from Old English cnēowlian; akin to Old English cnēow knee

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

kneel

verb

ˈnē(ə)l 

knelt ˈnelt  or kneeled

ˈnē(ə)ld

; kneeling

: to bend the knee : support oneself on the knees

kneeler noun