- a past tense and past participle of kneel
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
knelt
(nelt),USA pronunciation v.
- a pt. and pp. of kneel.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
knelt /nɛlt/ vb
kneel /nil/USA pronunciation
v. [no object], knelt /nɛlt/USA pronunciation or kneeled, kneel•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to go down or rest on the knees or a knee:She knelt down and began to pray.
kneel
(nēl),USA pronunciation v., knelt or kneeled, kneel•ing, n.
v.i.
n.
kneel′ing•ly, adv.
v.i.
- to go down or rest on the knees or a knee.
n.
- the action or position of kneeling.
- Middle English knelen, Old English cnēowlian (cognate with Low German knelen, Dutch knielen). See knee, -le bef. 1000
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
kneel /niːl/ vb (kneels, kneeling, knelt, kneeled)
- (intransitive) to rest, fall, or support oneself on one's knees
- the act or position of kneeling
'knelt' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):