kneel
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to go down on your knees or stay in a position where your knees touch the floor.
to support the body on one or both knees; often used as an intransitive verb to describe a posture of prayer, respect, or physical work.
Simple“The photographer had to kneel on the grass to get a good shot of the flowers.”
In context“The knight was instructed to kneel before the queen during the ceremony to show his loyalty and respect.”
UsageThe past tense can be either 'knelt' or 'kneeled'.
PitfallHe kneeled down to talk to the child. He knelt down to talk to the child.While 'kneeled' is common in American English, 'knelt' is the standard irregular past tense form in British English and is widely preferred in formal writing.
- 02 C1 Advanced
when a bus lowers its front part to make it easier for people to get on.
to lower the front or side of a vehicle, such as a bus, using a hydraulic system to facilitate passenger boarding.
Simple“The driver waited for the bus to kneel so the passenger in the wheelchair could board easily.”
In context“Modern urban transit systems often feature kneeling buses to ensure compliance with accessibility standards for elderly and disabled commuters.”
UsageUsually used in the continuous form ('the bus is kneeling') or as a participle adjective ('a kneeling bus').
“A woman kneels in prayer in front of children's coffins in Freckleton, England, on August 26, 1944.”
From Middle English knelen, from Old English cnēowlian (“to kneel”), equivalent to knee + -le. Cognate with Dutch knielen, Low German knelen, dialectal German knielen, Alemannic German chnüle, Danish knæle, all meaning “to kneel”.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.