bell

/bɛl/

/bɛl/

Other forms: bells; belled; belling

A bell is a hollow object, usually made of metal, that makes a deep ringing sound when it's hit or shaken. In the old days, the sound of a dinner bell meant that it was time to eat.

A belly dancer might have tiny bells on her costume that ring as she moves, and the church in your neighborhood might have a huge bell that's rung every hour. Other kinds of bells include a door bell, a bicycle bell, or a school bell, all of which make a sound to signal something. The Old English root is belle, from a Proto-Indo-European source, bhel-, "to sound" or "to roar."

Definitions of bell

1. noun

   a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
   examples:

   Liberty Bell

   the bell of Independence Hall; rung 8 July 1776 to announce the signing of the Declaration of Independence

   types:

   church bell

   a bell in a church tower (usually sounded to summon people to church)

   cowbell

   a bell hung around the neck of cow so that the cow can be easily located

   death bell, death knell

   a bell rung to announce a death

   dinner bell

   a bell rung to announce that dinner has been served

   electric bell

   a bell activated by the magnetic effect of an electric current

   fire bell

   a bell rung to give a fire alarm

   school bell

   a bell rung to announce beginning or ending of class

   sheep bell

   a bell hung round the neck of a sheep so that the sheep can be easily located

   shop bell

   a bell attached to the door of a small shop; warns the proprietor that a customer has entered the shop

   cascabel, sleigh bell

   a bell attached to a sleigh, or to the harness of a horse that is pulling a sleigh

   tocsin, warning bell

   a bell used to sound an alarm

   telephone bell

   electric bell that rings to signal a call

   type of:

   acoustic device

   a device for amplifying or transmitting sound

   signaling device

   a device used to send signals
2. noun

   a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed
   synonyms: buzzer, doorbell

   types:

   night bell

   a doorbell to be used at night

   type of:

   button, push, push button

   an electrical switch operated by pressing
3. noun

   a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument
   synonyms: chime, gong

   types:

   carillon

   set of bells hung in a bell tower

   handbell

   a bell that is held in the hand

   type of:

   percussion instrument, percussive instrument

   a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking another
4. noun

   the sound of a bell being struck
   “saved by the bell”

   “she heard the distant toll of church bells”

   synonyms: toll

   types:

   knell

   the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death or a funeral or the end of something

   angelus, angelus bell

   the sound of a bell rung in Roman Catholic churches to announce the time when the Angelus should be recited

   type of:

   sound

   the sudden occurrence of an audible event
5. noun

   the shape of a bell
   synonyms: bell shape, campana

   type of:

   curve, curved shape

   the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
6. noun

   the flared opening of a tubular device
   type of:

   opening

   a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made
7. verb

   attach a bell to
   “bell cows”

   type of:

   attach

   cause to be attached
8. noun

   (nautical) each of the eight half-hour units of nautical time signaled by strokes of a ship's bell; eight bells signals 4:00, 8:00, or 12:00 o'clock, either a.m. or p.m.
   synonyms: ship's bell

   type of:

   time unit, unit of time

   a unit for measuring time periods