kneel

American  

[neel] / nil /

verb (used without object)

knelt, kneeled, kneeling

1. to go down or rest on the knees or a knee.

---

noun

1. the action or position of kneeling.

kneel British  

/ niːl /

verb

1. (intr) to rest, fall, or support oneself on one's knees

---

noun

1. the act or position of kneeling

Other Word Forms

• kneeler noun
• kneelingly adverb
• unkneeling adjective

Etymology

Origin of kneel

First recorded before 1000; Middle English knelen, Old English cnēowlian (cognate with Low German knelen, Dutch knielen ). See knee, -le

Explanation

When you kneel, you rest your bent knees on the ground. People kneel to pray, to work in the garden, and to do yoga. Kids often kneel on the living room rug to play, and adults kneel to tie a child's shoelaces, to vacuum under the sofa, to play with a puppy, to exercise, and for many other reasons. A great thing about the word kneel is that its meaning is easy to see — the word knee is obvious when you look at it. The Old English root word, cnēowlian, simply means kneel, and it comes from cnēow, or "knee."

Example Sentences

With only 18 seconds left after that game-tying score, the Rams opted to kneel and send the game to overtime.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

In another instance captured on video, a U.S. citizen is splayed out on a sidewalk in El Monte as two men with vests that read “Border Patrol” kneel over him.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025

"You don’t know whether to stand . . . or kneel."

From Salon • May 13, 2025

Businessmen from all over Europe would choose your port to set out from if they knew they could kneel at the altar of this champion of mariners.

From Slate • Dec. 15, 2024

Somehow he had taught Marlene to kneel down and to lift her trunk at his command, and the children loved this.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

• bow