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bell ringing

bell ringing

1 3.3
A sound made by bells during a ceremony or musical performance
  • noun
  • /bɛl ˈrɪŋɪŋ/
translation icon : sonido de campanas
  • The school bell rings and Deacon clicks off the TV.
  • the church bell ringing

Examples

  • Why are the bells ringing at this hour?

  • The bells ring, and within moments the corridor is empty.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • A bell rings to announce the liturgical hours that divide their day into these types of prayer.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • A church bell ringing causes Trevor to wake up again, wincing at the sound.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • When the bell rang, Evan jerked his head toward the door.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The church bells rang.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • During the ceremony, the bell ringing filled the air with a beautiful melody.

  • The soft bell ringing signaled the start of the evening service at the chapel.

  • We gathered outside, listening to the joyful bell ringing announcing the new year.

Synonyms

bell
vsbell ringing
221 1.0

A clear ringing sound made by a struck metal object

is the sound from a played set of metal objects rather than one strike
ring
vsbell ringing
203 1.0

The sound a bell or phone makes when struck

is specifically the sound of a group performance rather than any activated device sound
ringing
vsbell ringing
133 1.0

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

is specifically the sound from a group played in musical or ceremonial contexts
chime
vsbell ringing
23 1.7

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

is specifically the sound of a group played during musical or ceremonial performance
toll
vsbell ringing
20 6.3

The slow deep sound a bell makes when hit

is the sound of a played group rather than slow solitary strikes
dong
vsbell ringing
9 5.8

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

is the music-like sound from many struck metal objects, not a single deep stroke
ding-dong
vsbell ringing
1 3.6

A repeated ringing sound a bell makes

is played by a group for music or ceremony, not simple signaling tones
pealing
vsbell ringing
1 7.7

A deep long sound like thunder or large bells

is the group performance sound of struck metal objects, not only deep tones
rolling
vsbell ringing
1 3.7

A deep continuous sound like thunder or large bells

is the group performance sound for music or ceremony, not a continuous rumble
Ding Dongs
vsbell ringing
4.2

Clear ringing sounds that bells make

is produced during formal group performances rather than simple repeated tones
tintinnabulation
vsbell ringing
  • Archaic
9.9

A light ringing sound made by bells or wind chimes

is fuller group performance sound rather than light tinkling tones

How Loud

peal
4 5.8
clang
28 3.9
bell ringing
1 3.3
ring
203 1.0
chime
23 1.7
tinkle
12 4.4

Surface Forms

bell ringing singular
bell ringings plural

Morphology

bell + ringing

The meaning 'the activity or art of playing bells' is directly and transparently composed from 'bell' (a hollow object that rings when struck) + 'ringing' (the act/sound of ringing). This is a straightforward noun + gerund construction following normal English composition patterns and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.

Etymology

Bell ringing comes from the image of large bells in a tower being pulled so they make loud ringing that people can hear across a village or town. So it means 'the sound produced by the playing of a set of bells'.