1. the sound of a bell, especially when rung solemnly for a death or funeral
2. an event or sound that signals the end or failure of something
Usage: figurative

1. to ring a bell, especially in a solemn manner
2. to signal or announce something ominously
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The church bells rang a solemn knell for the departed.
• The funeral knell echoed across the quiet village.
• The company’s bankruptcy was the death knell for many jobs.
• His resignation sounded the knell of the reform movement.
• The bells knelled mournfully throughout the ceremony.
• The closing of the factory knelled the end of an era.
• Each toll of the knell marked another moment of grief.