How to Use Kneel Past Tense (Explained, Usage & Quiz)

What's the past tense of "kneel"?

The simple past tense of kneel is knelt, and the past participle is also knelt. In US English, kneeled is also acceptable for both forms.

Definition of kneel

The Oxford English Dictionary defines kneel as "to be in or move into a position where your body is supported on your knee or knees." It's used to describe the act of resting on one or both knees, often as a gesture of respect, prayer, or submission.

• The past tense of kneel is knelt (or kneeled in US English).

• The past participle of kneel is knelt (or kneeled in US English).

Verb forms of 'kneel'

Is "kneel" a regular or irregular verb?

Note: Regular verbs end in -ed in the past tense. Any other verb ending is considered irregular.

While an irregular verb, 'kneel' shows a highly common verb-conjugation pattern. Similar to other verbs like feel/felt, deal/dealt, and keep/kept, kneel uses one form for all past tenses (and in the present perfect).

When to use "knelt" (past) vs. "knelt" (participle)

He knelt before the altar.

I've knelt here many times before.

The participle form of a verb (shown in the second sentence) uses the auxiliary verb have as a contraction, I've.

When auxiliaries like have or had appear in the same sentence as a past participle verb form, this indicates that the verb's aspect is in the present or past perfect, and not the simple past tense.

Remember, a participle always uses a helper verb to form the complete tense or aspect. Simple tenses, on the other hand, can stand on their own.

Sentence examples: kneel, knelt, knelt

Synonyms & nearby words

Practice: "Kneel" conjugations