From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishkneelkneel /niːl/ ●●○ (also kneel down) verb (past tense and past participle knelt /nelt/ or kneeled American English) [intransitive] BENDto be in or move into a position where your body is resting on your knees Tom knelt down and patted the dog.kneel on She knelt on the floor and put more wood on the fire.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
kneel• An old woman was kneeling at the altar, her hands clasping a rosary.• Grandpa knelt down and lifted the little girl into his arms.• You'll need to bring a small mat to kneel on.• He told them to kneel, then began to say a prayer.Origin kneel Old English cneowlian 