| death knell or death bell | |
| —n | |
| 1. | something that heralds death or destruction |
| 2. | a bell rung to announce a death |
| death bell or death bell | |
| —n | |
death knell
Something that indicates impending failure, as in His low scores sounded the death knell for his ambitions. The noun knell, used for the ringing of a bell since at least a.d. 1000, is rarely heard today except in this figurative phrase.