take a knee
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.32 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
Of any player with the ball, to kneel and place the ball on the ground, thereby ending the play and indicating they do not intend to advance with the ball.
verb
To cease performing customary activities or duties and kneel on one knee, sometimes as a form of protest.
verb
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see take, knee.
Example Sentences
- "Levon Berry, a 288-pound tackle for S. Pete, decided to take a knee and adjust the adhesive tape that's wrapped around his street shoes."
- ""Take a knee, take a knee," he said as each group came to him. Brennan knelt to Bonow's right. He plucked a few blades of grass and sucked them, tasting dirt and fertilizer and lime."
- "The N.F.L. estimates that number could rise to 30 percent, but special-teams coaches say at least 40 percent of kickoffs will end with the returner taking a knee in the end zone."
- "Former Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts said Wednesday night that officers "took a knee" after the April riots following the death of Freddie Gray, allowing crime to spike because they felt a lack of support from commanders."
- "Likewise, when black players take a knee during the national anthem to protest police violence against African-Americans, they are making a gesture of pain and distress. They are putting America in a more honest context — our “Star-Spangled Banner” dimly seen through the mists of deep injury."
- "Adam Gemili has vowed to take a knee in support of Black Lives Matter if he wins an Olympic medal in Tokyo – and warned the IOC that “all hell will break loose” if it tries to ban athletes from protesting on the podium."