A bell is a device that makes a ringing sound and is used to give a signal or to attract people's attention.
I had just enough time to finish eating before the bell rang and I was off to myfirst class.
I've been ringing the door bell, there's no answer.
2. countable noun
A bell is a hollow metal object shaped like a cup which has a piece hanging inside it that hits the sides and makes a sound.
Church bells tolled yesterday in remembrance of the five girls who were killed.
3.
See as clear as a bell
4.
See give sb a bell
5.
See sth rings a bell
6.
See as sound as a bell
bell in British English1
(bɛl)
noun
1.
a hollow, usually metal, cup-shaped instrument that emits a musical ringing sound when struck, often by a clapper hanging inside it
2.
the sound made by such an instrument or device, as for showing the hours or marking the beginning or end of a period of time
3.
an electrical device that rings or buzzes as a signal
4.
the bowl-shaped termination of the tube of certain musical wind instruments, such as the trumpet or oboe
5.
any musical percussion instrument emitting a ringing tone, such as a glockenspiel, one of a set of hand bells, etc
Compare chime1 (sense 3)
6. nautical
a signal rung on a ship's bell to count the number of half-hour intervals during each of six four-hour watches reckoned from midnight. Thus, one bell may signify 12.30, 4.30, or 8.30 a.m. or p.m
7. diving bell
8. biology
a structure resembling a bell in shape, such as the corolla of certain flowers or the body of a jellyfish
9. British slang
a telephone call (esp in the phrase give someone a bell)
10. beat seven bells out of
11. bell, book, and candle
12. ring a bell
13. sound as a bell
14. the bells
verb
15.
to be or cause to be shaped like a bell
16. (transitive)
to attach a bell or bells to
17. bell the cat
Word origin
Old English belle; related to Old Norse bjalla, Middle Low German bell; see bell2
bell in British English2
(bɛl)
noun
1.
a bellowing or baying cry, esp that of a hound or a male deer in rut
verb
2.
to utter (such a cry)
Word origin
Old English bellan; related to Old Norse belja to bellow, Old High German bellan to roar, Sanskrit bhāsate he talks; see bellow
Bell in British English
(bɛl)
noun
1.
Acton, Currer (ˈkʌrə), and Ellis. pen names of the sisters Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë
Brontë
2.
Alexander Graham. 1847–1922, US scientist, born in Scotland, who invented the telephone (1876)
3.
Sir Francis Henry Dillon. 1851–1936, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1925)
4.
Gertrude (Margaret Lowthian). 1868–1926, British traveller, writer, and diplomat; secretary to the British High Commissioner in Baghdad (1917–26)
5.
Dame (Susan) Jocelyn, married name Jocelyn Burnell. born 1943, British radio astronomer, who discovered the first pulsar
6.
Joshua. born 1967, US violinist
7.
Vanessa, original name Vanessa Stephen. 1879–1961, British painter; a member of the Bloomsbury group, sister of Virginia Woolf and wife of the art critic Clive Bell (1881–1964)
Bell in American English
(bɛl)
1.
Alexander Graham1847-1922; U.S. inventor of the telephone, born in Scotland
2. Pseudonym
pseudonym for the Brontë sisters
see also Brontë (sense 2)
3.
Daniel1919- ; U.S. sociologist
bell in American English1
(bɛl)
noun
1.
a hollow object, usually cuplike, made of metal or other hard material which ringswhen struck, as by a clapper inside
2.
such an object rung to mark the hours or the beginning and end of a period of time
3.
the sound made by a bell
4.
anything shaped like a bell, as a flower, the flare of a horn, etc.
5. [pl.]
a musical instrument made up of a series of tuned metal bars or hollow tubes that are sounded by striking
, ; specif.,
a.
glockenspiel
b.
chimes
see also chime1 (sense 2)
6. Nautical
a.
a bell rung every half hour during each of the five four-hour watches and during the four-hour period comprising the two dog watches: the series of rings begins at one bell (12:30, 4:30, and 8:30 o'clock) and ends at eight bells (4:00, 8:00, and 12:00 o'clock)
b.
any of these half-hour periods
verb transitive
7.
to attach a bell or bells to
8.
to shape like a bell
verb intransitive
9.
to flare out like a bell
Word origin
ME & OE belle < IE base *bhel-, to sound, roar (orig. ? echoic) > bellow, ON belja, to roar
bell in American English2
(bɛl)
noun
1.
a bellow; roar
verb intransitive
2.
to utter long, deep sounds, as a hound in pursuit of game; bay; bellow
Word origin
ME bellen < OE bellan: see bell1
More idioms containing
bell
clear as a bell
something rings a bell
saved by the bell
ring someone's bell
sound as a bell
Examples of 'bell' in a sentence
bell
That should set off alarm bells for a software products company.
Computing (2010)
Not many alarm bells in terms of credit quality.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It certainly sets off one or two alarm bells.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Is that wedding bells we hear?
The Sun (2016)
There is no need for air conditioning, bells and whistles.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Three times, the bell is heard to ring.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Wedding bells can't be far off.
The Sun (2016)
Alarm bells should sound when alcohol use becomes a daily habit, or if thoughts turn to drinking when any stress or worry is experienced.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Could it be due to the day he failed to answer the bell to the drug testers when upstairs at his small home in Twickenham?
The Sun (2016)
This was a humdrum Sunday afternoon in a provincial Italian town where the church bells are audible from the stadium.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Days were filled with the sound of bells.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
With my finger still on the bell the door opens.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Too many footprints may set alarm bells ringing.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The church bells ring as people file out of the church.
Christianity Today (2000)
Which is at least one bell and one whistle.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The company is adding bells and whistles as it goes.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
This does not sound alarm bells loudly enough.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You can almost hear those sleigh bells ringing already.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Stand tall with a kettle bell in left hand and arm fully extended above your head.
The Sun (2011)
He rolled with the punches and got off the stool at the sound of the bell.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Is that the tinkling of wedding bells we can hear?
The Sun (2014)
Its bells will be answered by churches on the riverbank along the route.
The Sun (2012)
The bell to end the round saved him.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The only thing that matters is when the first bell goes and the referee counts to ten.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
When are alarm bells going to ring?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
You can also camp on the site or choose to stay in a quirky bell tent.
The Sun (2016)
We can await the ring on the front door bell.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Stand tall with a kettle bell just below chest height.
The Sun (2011)
The name alone may set alarm bells ringing.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
All you can hear is birdsong and church bells.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
She strikes one of the bells firmly with a mallet.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
That should sound some warning bells.
The Sun (2013)
Surely this must cause alarm bells to ring within Scottish government.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The colour is often linked to danger and may signal alarm bells which stop us from overeating, they say.
The Sun (2012)
Word lists with
bell
parts of a bicycle, instrument
In other languages
bell
British English: bell /bɛl/ NOUN
A bell is a device that makes a ringing sound which attracts people's attention.
I've been ringing the door bell.
American English: bell
Arabic: جَرَس
Brazilian Portuguese: sino
Chinese: 铃
Croatian: zvono
Czech: zvon
Danish: klokke
Dutch: bel zoemer
European Spanish: timbre
Finnish: soittokello
French: cloche
German: Klingel
Greek: καμπάνα
Italian: campana squilla
Japanese: 鐘
Korean: 종 울리다
Norwegian: bjelle
Polish: dzwonek
European Portuguese: sino
Romanian: sonerie
Russian: звонок
Latin American Spanish: campana
Swedish: klocka ringklocka
Thai: ระฆัง
Turkish: zil kapı, okul
Ukrainian: дзвін
Vietnamese: chuông
All related terms of 'bell'
bell buoy
a navigational buoy fitted with a bell , the clapper of which strikes when the waves move the buoy
bell jar
a bell-shaped glass cover used to protect flower arrangements or fragile ornaments or to cover apparatus in experiments , esp to prevent gases escaping
bell moth
any moth of the family Tortricidae , which when at rest resemble the shape of a bell
bell pull
a handle , rope, or cord that is pulled to ring a doorbell or servant's bell
bell push
a button that is pressed to operate an electric bell
bell rope
a rope attached to a bell
bell tent
a cone-shaped tent having a single central supporting pole
dumb-bell
A dumb-bell is a short bar with weights on either side which people use for physical exercise to strengthen their arm and shoulder muscles .
bell-bottom
designating trousers or slacks that are flared beginning at the knee or mid-calf
bell bronze
an alloy of copper and tin that contains a high proportion (at least 20 per cent ) of tin: used for bell founding
bell crank
a lever with two arms having a common fulcrum at their junction
bell curve
a curve resembling the outline of a flared bell , usually representing a normal distribution
bell glass
a bell-shaped glass cover used to protect flower arrangements or fragile ornaments or to cover apparatus in experiments , esp to prevent gases escaping
bell magpie
any Australian crowlike songbird of the genus Strepera, having black, grey , and white plumage : family Cracticidae
bell metal
an alloy of copper and tin , with some zinc and lead , used in casting bells
bell pepper
A bell pepper is a hollow green, red, or yellow vegetable with seeds .
bell punch
a machine that issues or stamps a ticket , etc, ringing a bell as it does so
bell-ringer
A bell ringer is someone who rings church bells or hand bells, especially as a hobby .
bell-shaped
shaped like a bell
bell sheep
a sheep that a shearer is just starting to shear (and is allowed to finish ) as the bell rings for the end of a work period
bell-topper
a tall silk hat
bell tower
a tower containing a bell or bells; belfry
death bell
a bell tolled to announce a death
dinner bell
a bell which is rung to announce that dinner has been served
diving bell
A diving bell is a container shaped like a bell, in which people can breathe air while they work under water.
jingle bell
a sleigh bell
Lutine bell
a bell , taken from the ship Lutine, kept at Lloyd's in London and rung before important announcements , esp the loss of a vessel
shark bell
a bell sounded to warn swimmers of the presence of sharks
silver bell
any of various deciduous trees of the styracaceous genus Halesia, esp H. carolina , of North America and China, having white bell-shaped flowers
sleigh bell
a tinkling bell attached to the harness of an animal pulling a sleigh
bell-bottoms
Bell-bottoms are trousers that are very wide at the bottom of the leg , near your feet .
bell captain
a person in charge of a group of bellhops
bell heather
an ericaceous shrub, Erica cinerea
bell housing
A bell housing is a bell-shaped extension of an engine crankcase , that contains the flywheel and the clutch .
bicycle bell
a bell attached to a bicycle , used to warn others on the road
division bell
a bell rung in a parliament to signal a division
Liberty Bell
the bell of Independence Hall in Philadelphia , rung on July 8, 1776, to proclaim the independence of the U.S.: it cracked in 1835
passing bell
a bell rung to announce a death or a funeral
sacring bell
a small bell rung at the elevation of the Host and chalice during Mass
Sanctus bell
a bell rung as the opening words of the Sanctus are pronounced and also at other important points during Mass
Bell's palsy
a usually temporary paralysis of the muscles of the face , normally on one side
bell the cat
to undertake a very dangerous mission
Canterbury bell
a campanulaceous biennial European plant, Campanula medium , widely cultivated for its blue, violet , or white flowers
ring a bell
to sound familiar ; recall to the mind something previously experienced, esp indistinctly
ring the bell
to do, say , or be the right thing
barbell
a metal rod to which heavy discs are attached at each end for weightlifting exercises
bell-shaped curve
→ bell curve
clear as a bell
very easy to hear and often understand
give sb a bell
If you give someone a bell , you telephone them.
sound as a bell
in a very good condition and very reliable
Chinese translation of 'bell'
bell
(bɛl)
n(c)
[of church]钟(鐘) (zhōng) (座, zuò)
(also handbell) 摇(搖)铃(鈴) (yáolíng) (个(個), gè)
(on door) 门(門)铃(鈴) (ménlíng) (个(個), gè)
that rings a bell (inf) 那使人想起某事 (nà shǐ rén xiǎngqǐ mǒushì)