English Reference

Word

kneeling

Phoneticskneel·ing

US/ˈniɫɪŋ/

UK/nˈiːlɪŋ/

Definition

n. the action of putting your knees on the ground.

n. the act of assuming or maintaining a kneeling position, often for ritualistic, religious, or practical purposes.

Examples

“He is kneeling on the floor to fix the chair.”

“The gardener spent the entire afternoon kneeling in the dirt while planting the new flower beds.”

“The photograph captures a moment of quiet reflection, with the subject kneeling before the memorial in a posture that conveys both exhaustion and deep reverence.”

Examples

simple

“He is kneeling on the floor to fix the chair.”

contextual

“The gardener spent the entire afternoon kneeling in the dirt while planting the new flower beds.”

complex

“The photograph captures a moment of quiet reflection, with the subject kneeling before the memorial in a posture that conveys both exhaustion and deep reverence.”

Etymology

From kneel + -ing.

From Middle English knelinge, kneweling, kneolunge, equivalent to kneel + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Synonyms

prostration

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/kneeling

English Reference