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bell

bell

221 1.0
A clear ringing sound made by a struck metal object
  • noun
  • /bɛl/
translation icon : tañido
  • The cry of seagulls and the tinkling of tram bells are San Francisco.
  • bells ring
  • ringing of bells
  • sound of bells

Still clear as a bell and speed.

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Examples

  • Every time you ring the bell, you get the food.

  • Then, thrilling the air, there came the nostalgic chime of church bells, almost under their window.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • John Ireland heard the sound of a bell above the rushing water.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Choirs will sing and the joy bells will ring.

  • The beam stops on a ringing bell that hangs several feet in the air.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We climb the tower to the chime of bells, now the home of innumerable pigeons.

    Academic text (2011)
  • According to folklore convention, the ringing of church bells forced the trolls to release their human captives.

    Academic text (1995)
  • We heard the beautiful sound of the bell ringing in the quiet church.

  • As the clock struck noon, the bell announced the arrival of lunchtime.

  • The bell chimed melodiously, signaling the start of the festival.

Synonyms

sound
vsbell
1.0

A noise you can hear

is the specific resonant tone from a struck hollow metal object not general noise
ring
vsbell
203 1.0

The sound a bell or phone makes when struck

is restricted to the sound from a struck hollow metal instrument rather than alerts
ringing
vsbell
133 1.0

A clear loud sound a bell or similar thing makes when hit

is specific to the sound from the classic struck hollow metal instrument
chime
vsbell
23 1.7

A clear musical ringing sound made by a bell or a set of bells

is a clear resonant sound without the musical harmony or tuning
toll
vsbell
20 6.3

The slow deep sound a bell makes when hit

is the same resonant sound but usually as a single clear strike
ping
vsbell
18 6.4

A short, sharp high sound like metal being struck

is the resonant tone from a struck metal instrument not a quick impact sound
tinkle
vsbell
12 4.4

A light clear ringing sound like a small bell

is a stronger clear resonant tone from a larger struck metal instrument
dong
vsbell
9 5.8

A deep sound a large bell or clock makes when it rings

is the clear resonant tone but not as low or heavy as this sound
ting
vsbell
6 8.4

A light, clear ringing sound like a small bell or glass

is the stronger resonant tone produced by a larger struck metal instrument
ding-dong
vsbell
1 3.6

A repeated ringing sound a bell makes

is a single clear resonant strike, not an alternating repeated sequence
bell ringing
vsbell
1 3.3

A sound made by bells during a ceremony or musical performance

is the single struck resonant tone, not an ensemble performance
bing
vsbell
1 7.7

A short high sound made by a phone or microwave

is the resonant tone from a struck hollow metal instrument, not an electronic alert
pealing
vsbell
1 7.7

A deep long sound like thunder or large bells

is the clear resonant tone from a struck hollow instrument not deep and long
dingling
vsbell
1 7.6

A light high ringing sound from a small bell

is the clear resonant tone from a larger struck metal instrument
tintinnabulation
vsbell
  • Archaic
9.9

A light ringing sound made by bells or wind chimes

is the everyday technical sound term rather than poetic description
Ding Dongs
vsbell
4.2

Clear ringing sounds that bells make

is the single struck resonant tone rather than repeated multiple strokes
tinkling
vsbell
2.7

Making short, high ringing sounds like small bells

is usually a single clear resonant strike rather than many quick high notes
bell-like call
vsbell
  • Texting
3.7

A short bell sound on a phone or app that signals a message

is the natural resonant sound from a struck hollow metal instrument not a notification
ching
vsbell
8.9

A short sharp ringing sound made when metal or glass hits something

is the resonant tone produced by a strike on a hollow metal instrument

Idioms

to ring a bell
  • Informal
57 3.5

To seem familiar and make you remember something

1 5.6

To avoid trouble at the last moment because something interrupts

1 9.9

To try to undo something after it has happened and cannot be changed

In very good working condition and reliable

9.9

Win first place in a competition

to bell the cat
  • Informal
9.9

To take on a difficult or risky task that others refuse to do

5.4

Make someone think there may be a problem

To warn people about a possible danger or serious problem

Compounds

21 1.6

A large sweet vegetable shaped like a bell and eaten raw or cooked

9 1.1

A bell in a church tower that rings to call people to services or mark the time

8 3.3

A tall structure, often part of a church or public building, that holds bells

7 2.2

A bell that rings to warn people of danger or an emergency

bell curve
  • Specialized
7 4.6

A curved line on a graph showing most results near the average and fewer at the ends

7 3.4

A large old bell in Philadelphia that stands for freedom in the United States

7 2.7

A small metal object that jingles when moved, often on a horse harness or sleigh

5 1.0

A bell in a school that tells students the start or end of class

dinner bell
  • Archaic
4 1.1

A bell that rings to tell people that dinner is ready

bell-bottoms
  • Archaic
3 5.5

Trousers with legs that get wider from the knee down, often worn in the 1960s and 1970s

3 4.3

A person who rings bells in a church or musical group

2 2.0

A bell that rings to warn people about a fire

bell-bottom
  • Archaic
2 3.9

Trousers with legs that become wider below the knee

bell jar
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A glass cover shaped like a bell used to protect fragile things like clocks or small objects

diving bell
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A strong chamber with an open bottom filled with air that carries people or equipment underwater for work

1 6.2

Hotel employee who supervises bellboys and helps guests with their luggage

1 3.3

A sound made by bells during a ceremony or musical performance

bell-shaped curve
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A curve shaped like a bell that shows most values near the average

bell buoy
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A floating marker with a bell that rings when it moves to warn boats

bell ringer
  • Informal
1 7.0

A very successful result that does exactly what it should

1 8.0

A bell that a church or community rings to tell people someone has died

1 2.7

A bell that rings to warn people of danger

1 3.5

A sign that tells people about a possible problem

A clear, musical bird sound like a small bell

bell-like call
  • Texting
3.7

A short bell sound on a phone or app that signals a message

8.2

A large bell-shaped oven that heats steel strips to remove hardening and make them softer

bell-type furnace
  • Specialized
9.8

A furnace that covers steel strips with a bell-shaped hood to make them softer

9.9

A yellow tropical fruit with sweet juicy flesh and a strong smell

bell arch
  • Specialized
9.1

An arch with a rounded top that rests on stones sticking out from a wall like a bell

bell book
  • Specialized
9.9

A ship record for main engine orders written by the engineer

9.9

A small structure on a roof that holds one or more bells

9.9

A small shelter that holds a bell on the roof or wall of a church

bell cow
  • Jargon
9.9

A person or thing that leads a group and shows the best example

bell deck
  • Specialized
9.6

A floor under the bells in a tower that supports them

bell founder
  • Specialized
9.9

A person who makes bells by pouring hot liquid metal into a mold

bell gable
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wall at the end of a roof with openings that hold bells

bell foundry
  • Specialized
8.1

A workshop where people make bells by pouring hot metal into molds

A bell-shaped glass cover used to protect or display objects and to hold gases

A small European shrub with thin needle-like leaves and bell-shaped purple or pink flowers

bell magpie
  • Australian
9.9

A blue-black bird that eats fruit and makes a bell-like call

A mushroom with a bell-shaped cap attached only at the top

bell metal
  • Specialized
8.5

A hard metal made from copper and tin that is used to make bells

4.6

A button on a door or wall you press to ring a bell at an entrance

Playing a set of bells usually hung in a tower

bell seat
  • Archaic
9.9

A seat shaped like a bell on some chairs from the 1700s

A rounded form that is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top like a bell

4.7

A tent with a round floor and a tall pole in the middle

bell toad
  • Specialized
9.7

A frog in western North America that uses a tail-like organ to mate

A garden plant with pretty bell-shaped flowers grown for decoration

A bell that rings when electricity makes a magnet move

A bell sound in Catholic churches that calls people to say the Angelus prayer

9.9

A tall plant with clusters of large pink-purple tube-like flowers and leaves poisonous to farm animals

A low shrub with purple bell-shaped flowers that grows on open wild land

honey bell
  • South African
9.9

A small African shrub with long hanging stems and yellow flowers that smell sweet

A button by a door used at night to call someone

A garden plant with white or blue bell-shaped flowers that appears in early summer

telephone bell
  • Archaic
2.1

A small electric bell that rings to tell someone about an incoming phone call

A small bell that hangs on a sheep's neck to help find it by sound

2.0

A small bell on a shop door that rings when a customer enters or leaves

ship's bell
  • Specialized
8.8

A sound a ship makes every half hour to show the time

8.3

A North American tree with white bell-shaped flowers

A medium-sized tree that loses its leaves and has white bell-shaped flowers

9.9

A smelly weed with bell-shaped flowers that grows in fields of grain

9.9

A plant with small blue or white bell-shaped flowers that lives for many years

3.4

A decorative thing of metal, glass or clay that hangs and makes a soft tinkling sound in wind

How Loud

peal
4 5.8
clang
28 3.9
bell
221 1.0
to chime
61 3.0
to tinkle
15 3.9

Surface Forms

bell singular
bells plural

Etymology

Bell likely comes from the ringing sound itself, so it can mean the clear 'ring' you hear when a bell is hit.