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• belle
  belle

  noun

  a woman or girl admired for her beauty and charm.
• Belle
  Belle

  noun

  a first name, form of Bella.

belle

¹ American  

[bel] / bɛl /

noun

• belles
  plural

1. a woman or girl admired for her beauty and charm.

2. the most beautiful, charming, or engaging woman or girl among a number.

   the belle of the ball.

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Belle ² American  

[bel] / bɛl /

noun

1. a first name, form of Bella.

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belle British  

/ bɛl /

noun

1. a beautiful girl or woman

2. the most attractive or admired girl or woman at a place, function, etc (esp in the phrase the belle of the ball )

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• belles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of belle

1615–25; < French; Old French bele < Latin bella, feminine of bellus fine, good-looking. See beau

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Explanation

A belle is a young woman singled out for being more attractive and charming than other women, as in the phrase belle of the ball. Cinderella was the belle of the ball, at least until midnight. Belle comes from the Latin bella for “beautiful.” If you ever hear a woman being called a belle, it has nothing to do with ringing; she's super foxy. A Southern Belle is a lovely girl from the South, like Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind. A belle can be from anywhere, though, as long as she stands out. A belle has rivals, but she is more attractive and desirable. The belle is a little like the prom queen.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

belle Belle belles

Doctors talk about la belle indifférence, a state of reality-denying serenity that some patients enter while experiencing serious medical symptoms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

During the Comic Con panel, Evans called the festivities “wonderful and beautiful,” but said that he and his belle were happy to be winding down after the whole ordeal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025

I didn't grow up a Southern belle in a lot of ways because I grew up very middle-class.

From Salon ● May 9, 2025

Many of them were built in the early 20th century - grand belle epoque palaces serving a then emerging class of privileged, primarily English tourists.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2025

“I think you should do it. You will be the belle of the ball.”

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez

To celebrate the victory, two buses, carrying players and staff, travelled from the club's ground at Belle Vue to Wakefield Town Hall for a civic reception.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

He was walking on stage to greet Belle, played by Kyra Belle Johnson, and relied on her expression to let him know if he was in danger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

A new federal housing law is aimed at slashing red tape associated with producing modular and manufactured homes, the Journal’s Lily Belle Poling writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Follow Belle Lin on LinkedIn and X for her latest reporting on enterprise technology and AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

I roll out our bedding, feed and blanket Midnight and Belle.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Now, thanks to how fast AI is changing, they are the belles of the ball.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

If the pure plays are the current belles of the ball, IBM could be the long-term keeper for investors.

From Barron's ● Dec. 10, 2025

“The whole thing was presented as just gushing about the antebellum era, the southern belles, and how it was such a great time to be alive,” Wolfisberg said of Boone Hall.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 19, 2022

They don't get to be the belles of the ball anymore, but the choice of whether to be hated villains of history is up to them.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2021

I just kept walking across the huge room until below me was a pile of hay belles.

From "Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key" by Jack Gantos

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