kneel

American  

[neel] / nil /

verb (used without object)

knelt, kneeled, kneeling

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

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noun

1. the action or position of kneeling.

kneel British  

/ niːl /

verb

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

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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

The poacher offerered to kneel and apologise, telling Silva that he only came to the field to look at birds.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025

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

From Salon • May 13, 2025

“Oohs” rippled through the class as students began to kneel down in position to begin the choreography.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025

I cross the room and kneel beside her.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• bow