bell push
- noun
- UK
:
botón de timbre
- After searching for the right place, I found a bell push marked 'Visitors' next to the entrance.
- bell push made
Examples
-
When I arrived at the front door, I pressed the bell push to let them know I was here.
-
The old house had a vintage bell push that rang the bell in the hallway.
-
Please use the bell push if the front door is closed when you arrive.
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She pressed the bell push and waited for someone to answer the door.
-
The old-fashioned bell push beside the gate had stopped working.
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Please press the bell push to enter.
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The bell push is located next to the door.
Synonyms
144
1.0
A button by the front door that rings when someone presses it to tell you a visitor is there
104
1.0
A small machine that makes a low, repeating sound to tell people something
89
1.0
A device that makes a sound to get someone's attention
1
1.9
A small switch you press with a finger to control a machine like a coffee maker or elevator
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly predictable from 'bell' (a signaling device) plus 'push' (an act of pressing) — i.e. something you push to operate a bell. This compositional pattern (a button to activate a bell) is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Bell push is a simple name for the small 'button' by a door that you push to ring a bell inside. Because people literally pushed it to call someone, the phrase now means the button at an entrance you press to get attention.