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
knelled; knelling; knells
: to summon or announce by or as if by a knell
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
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
Eric Lupher — the president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, which provided support for Whitmer's population growth council — said the end of dedicated funding for the office doesn't have to spell a death knell for the council's recommendations for growing the state's population.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025
The true death knell, however, is the fact that the mix of dreary and dreamlike — the very juxtaposition that gives Kiss of the Spider Woman its aenima and its sting — sit too uneasily next to each other, as if both halves were stuck in a separate conversation instead of talking to each other.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Israeli authorities recently approved a new settlement project that ultranationalist lawmakers see as a death knell for dreams of Palestinian statehood.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knell
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Noun
Critics, on the other hand, see them as a potential death knell for social media.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
Eric Lupher — the president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, which provided support for Whitmer's population growth council — said the end of dedicated funding for the office doesn't have to spell a death knell for the council's recommendations for growing the state's population.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025
The true death knell, however, is the fact that the mix of dreary and dreamlike — the very juxtaposition that gives Kiss of the Spider Woman its aenima and its sting — sit too uneasily next to each other, as if both halves were stuck in a separate conversation instead of talking to each other.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Israeli authorities recently approved a new settlement project that ultranationalist lawmakers see as a death knell for dreams of Palestinian statehood.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knell
Cite this Entry
“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knell. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
knell
2 of 2 noun1
: 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
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