ENGLISH
REFERENCE

kneel

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈniɫ// UK //nˈiːl// kneel Archaic

v. to rest on one or both of your knees on the ground.

v. to support the body on one or both knees. Intransitive — does not take a direct object.


SIMPLE

You must kneel to plant the flowers in the garden.

CONTEXTUAL

The photographer had to kneel on the wet grass to get the perfect low-angle shot of the building.

COMPLEX

In many traditional ceremonies, participants are expected to kneel as a sign of respect or humility before the proceedings begin.

Synonyms
Origin

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”.

Usage

The verb is intransitive; the past tense and past participle can be either 'knelt' or 'kneeled'.

Pitfall

He kneeled the floorHe kneeled on the floorKneel is intransitive and requires a preposition like 'on' or 'at' to connect to a location.

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