kneel down

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   To lower yourself until one or both knees touch the ground.

   Grammar: No object; often followed by beside, next to or in front of: kneel down beside the bed.

   Patterns

   • kneel down beside someone
   • kneel down to do something

   She knelt down to tie the little boy's shoe.

   Please kneel down so the children can see your face.

   He knelt down beside the river and washed his hands.

2. 2verbintransitiveformal

   To lower yourself onto your knees as a sign of respect, prayer or surrender.

   Grammar: Often followed by before or in front of: kneel down before the altar.

   Patterns

   • kneel down before someone
   • kneel down in prayer

   The pilgrims knelt down in front of the shrine.

   The knight knelt down before the queen.

   He knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

Word forms

Common combinations

kneel down beside

She knelt down beside the injured dog.

kneel down to pray

They knelt down to pray before the meal.

kneel down in front of

He knelt down in front of her and proposed.

kneel down on the floor

Kneel down on the floor and reach under the sofa.

told to kneel down

The suspect was told to kneel down and keep his hands visible.

Synonyms and how they differ

kneel

Kneel alone is a little shorter and more formal, and means the same position without stressing the movement.

crouch

Crouch means bending low with the knees up, not touching the ground.

get down on one knee

This phrase is common for proposals, but it only mentions one knee.

Opposites

Word family

kneel verb

to go onto your knees

knee noun

the joint in the middle of the leg

kneeler noun

a cushion or low bench for kneeling on in church

kneeling adjective

resting on the knees

Commonly confused: kneel down or knell?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “kneel down”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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