verb
kneel
neel
verb
1
To lower the body so that one or both knees rest on the ground.
"The knights knelt before the king to receive their titles."
"She knelt beside the bed to say her prayers."
How to Use Kneel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo go down onto your knees.
Common mistake
Both "knelt" and "kneeled" are accepted as the past tense — "knelt" is more common in British English.
Common pairings
kneel down
kneel before someone
kneel in prayer
Word Forms
knelt past tense, kneeled past tense, kneels singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “kneel”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Etymology
From Old English cnēowlian, built from knee plus a verb-forming ending, meaning literally "to go to the knee."