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bell

bell

4 1.0
A clear ringing sound made by a struck metal object
  • noun
  • /bɛl/
: 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
85 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
bing
vsbell
45 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
dong
vsbell
35 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
Ding Dongs
vsbell
33 4.2

Clear ringing sounds that bells make

is the single struck resonant tone rather than repeated multiple strokes
ringing
vsbell
31 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
29 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
ping
vsbell
28 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
ching
vsbell
14 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
ting
vsbell
14 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
tinkle
vsbell
8 4.4

A light clear ringing sound like a small bell

is a stronger clear resonant tone from a larger struck metal instrument
tinkling
vsbell
4 2.7

Making short, high ringing sounds like small bells

is usually a single clear resonant strike rather than many quick high notes
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
toll
vsbell
1 6.3

The slow deep sound a bell makes when hit

is the same resonant sound but usually as a single clear strike
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
tintinnabulation
vsbell
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A light ringing sound made by bells or wind chimes

is the everyday technical sound term rather than poetic description
dingling
vsbell
7.6

A light high ringing sound from a small bell

is the clear resonant tone from a larger struck metal instrument
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

Idioms

to ring a bell
  • Informal
63 3.5

To seem familiar and make you remember something

2 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

to bell the cat
  • Informal
1 9.9

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

To warn people about a possible danger or serious problem

1 5.4

Make someone think there may be a problem

9.9

Win first place in a competition

Compounds

20 1.6

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

18 2.2

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

16 1.1

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

12 3.3

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

10 2.7

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

bell curve
  • Specialized
9 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

bell-bottoms
  • Archaic
6 5.5

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

dinner bell
  • Archaic
5 1.1

A bell that rings to tell people that dinner is ready

bell-bottom
  • Archaic
5 3.9

Trousers with legs that become wider below the knee

4 4.3

A person who rings bells in a church or musical group

4 1.0

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

3 3.5

A sign that tells people about a possible problem

bell jar
  • Specialized
3 6.9

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

3 2.0

A bell that rings to warn people about a fire

2 3.2

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

2 2.7

A bell that rings to warn people of danger

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 3.3

A sound made by bells during a ceremony or musical performance

1 4.1

Playing a set of bells usually hung in a tower

1 6.2

Hotel employee who supervises bellboys and helps guests with their luggage

bell-shaped curve
  • Specialized
1 4.2

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

bell ringer
  • Informal
1 7.0

A very successful result that does exactly what it should

A bell that rings when electricity makes a magnet move

1 8.0

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

1 4.4

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

bell buoy
  • Specialized
1 7.0

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

telephone bell
  • Archaic
1 2.1

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

bell cow
  • Jargon
1 9.9

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

1 4.6

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

1 9.9

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

1 4.3

A button by a door used at night to call someone

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

1 4.7

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

1 7.7

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

1 3.4

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

1 9.9

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

1 8.3

A North American tree with white bell-shaped flowers

bell foundry
  • Specialized
1 8.1

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

A clear, musical bird sound like a small bell

bell arch
  • Specialized
1 9.1

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

1 8.4

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

honey bell
  • South African
1 9.9

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

1 2.0

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

bell founder
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

bell metal
  • Specialized
1 8.5

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

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 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 deck
  • Specialized
9.6

A floor under the bells in a tower that supports them

bell gable
  • Specialized
9.9

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

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 seat
  • Archaic
9.9

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

bell toad
  • Specialized
9.7

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

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

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

ship's bell
  • Specialized
8.8

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

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

How Loud

peal
4 5.8
clang
21 3.9
bell
4 1.0
to chime
25 3.0
to tinkle
14 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.