Skip to main content
to bell

to bell

14 6.0
To put a small metal object that rings on an animal or object so you can hear it
  • verb
  • /bɛl/
translation icon : poner un cascabel a
  • Please bell the cat when you arrive so I know you made it safely.

Examples

Synonyms

to ding
vsto bell
22 6.1

To make a short high sound like a small bell, for example on a phone

is more general and covers various metal ringing sounds
to jingle
vsto bell
18 2.8

To make a light ringing sound by moving small metal objects

is used for single struck or attached metal sounds rather than many strikes
tinkle
vsto bell
12 4.4

A light clear ringing sound like a small bell

is broader, used for louder or non delicate metal sounds
to peal
vsto bell
1 6.4

To ring loudly and clearly in a series, like church bells

is generally about smaller simpler metal sounds rather than loud prolonged ringing
to tink
vsto bell
1 9.5

To make a short high ringing sound like a small bell

is broader, not limited to very short high pitched rings
to jingle-jangle
vsto bell
1 7.5

A light ringing sound that small metal things make when they touch

is less repeated and can denote single or simple metal ringing
to gong
vsto bell
1 7.7

To hit a metal instrument so it makes a loud ringing sound

is usually used for smaller struck metal sounds rather than a large resonant instrument tone
to tintinnabulate
vsto bell
  • Archaic
9.9

To make a soft ringing sound like a small bell

is broader, used for general or stronger metal sounds
to dingdong
vsto bell
6.8

A repeated ringing sound that a bell makes

is more general not tied to a repeated two part pattern

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

Phrasal Verbs

8.2

To strongly attract or excite someone

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

to peal
1 6.4
to clang
11 3.5
to bell
14 6.0
chime
23 1.7
to tinkle
15 3.9

Surface Forms

bell infinitive
belled past
belled past participle
belling present participle
bells third person singular

Etymology

Bell as a verb comes from putting a bell on an animal or making a bell-like sound, so to 'bell' something is to attach a bell to it or make it ring.