Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to bend the knee

to bend the knee

1 8.4
To show loyalty and obey a powerful person
  • idiom
translation icon : doblar la rodilla
  • In times of war, many leaders bend the knee to more powerful allies to ensure their survival.

But it's saying we will not bend the knee.

Autoplay Next

Examples

Synonyms

to kneel
vsto bend the knee
149 1.4

To be with your knees on the ground

is about submitting as a symbolic act acknowledging authority
to bow
vsto bend the knee
127 6.3

To give in to another person's wishes or demands

is a symbolic act of loyalty or obedience rather than just agreeing
to bow down
vsto bend the knee
30 3.7

Lower your head or body to show respect, often as a sign that you obey someone

is used for submitting or showing loyalty rather than only physical movement
to kowtow
vsto bend the knee
12 9.2

To behave very obediently to please a person in power

is a general symbolic act of loyalty, not necessarily extreme servility
to kowtow to
vsto bend the knee
9 8.9

To show too much respect and obedience to someone in power

is about submitting as a sign of loyalty rather than servile fawning
to genuflect
vsto bend the knee
  • Formal
5 9.9

To kneel on one or both knees to show respect, often in a church

is used broadly for submitting to authority, not only in religion
to knuckle under
vsto bend the knee
  • Informal
4 8.4

To give in to pressure or someone in charge even if you do not want to

is a willing or symbolic act of loyalty rather than forced yielding
to bow and scrape
vsto bend the knee
  • Archaic
3 9.4

Behave too politely and humbly to please someone

is about submitting to acknowledge authority rather than seeking favor
to bow respectfully
vsto bend the knee
1 3.9

Bend your upper body forward from the waist to show respect

is more about showing loyalty to an authority than a polite gesture
to bend to someone's will
vsto bend the knee
7.1

To do what someone else wants even if you do not want to

is about symbolic acknowledgment of authority rather than mere yielding

Antonyms

to defy
178 3.7

Openly refuse to obey someone or seem to resist a force like time

to rebel
48 4.1

To act against the government or people in power

How Submissive

to yield
81 4.3
to bend the knee
1 8.4
to submit
187 4.1
to resist
311 2.2

Surface Forms

bend the knee infinitive
bending the knee present participle
bends the knee third person singular
bent the knee past
bent the knee past participle

Morphology

bend + the + knee

A B1 learner who knows 'bend' and 'knee' will readily understand the literal physical action of bending the knee, but deriving the conventionalized meaning 'to submit or show loyalty' requires cultural/pragmatic knowledge linking kneeling to submission. This metaphorical/social extension is common cross-linguistically but not fully predictable from the words alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Bend the knee comes from the old custom of kneeling before a king or ruler. By literally bending the knee to someone, a person showed they obeyed and were loyal, so today it means 'to submit' or 'show loyalty'.