doorbell
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of doorbell
Explanation
A doorbell is a signal that a visitor can use to let you know they're at your door. Most doorbells have a small button that rings a bell inside the house when it's pushed. Your doorbell might emit a long chiming ring, even playing part of a song, or it may make a harsh buzzing sound. Doorbells tend to be louder than a simple knock on the door, and often they can be heard throughout a house or apartment. The very first doorbells were developed by the Scottish inventor William Murdock in the early 19th century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
With Guthrie missing, the FBI extracted and released doorbell camera images of an armed and masked man outside her home on the morning of her disappearance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
A Brazilian woman has received a suspended prison term for going to BTS K-pop star Jungkook's house repeatedly despite warnings to stay away - even ringing the doorbell 133 times on one such visit.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Dean, 38, carried the sacks - which were filled with household waste - to the nearby property and piled them outside before ringing the doorbell.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Carpenter said that when Applegate couldn’t gain access, he knocked on the door as well as rang the doorbell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
We have just finished when the doorbell rings.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Smart-home technology, including security doorbells and fall-detection sensors, can make homes safer, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Researcher Felix Morsbach notes that intelligence agencies or cybercriminals currently have easier ways to monitor people, including hacked security cameras or internet connected doorbells.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026
"Ringing doorbells, knocking on doors, alerting the neighbours, telling them to leave -- that's what the situation was like," he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025
Since then, neighborhood groups in New Jersey have organized “sky watches” to track the invading swarms and traded reports via their Ring doorbells.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2024
Before he reached the end of the chapter the doorbells were ringing, both the shop bell on the street and the family bell in the alley.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
