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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

Etymology

Origin of belle

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

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

Start a self-guided trip in San Sebastián, where the revitalized belle epoque Hotel Luze reopened in June.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 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

Later, he asked his belle of the stairwell how she might have reacted if he had asked her to marry him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2024

Nor is she the family-friendly belle seen in the 2022 family-friendly musical “The Lincolns of Springfield.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2024

Here’s this gazillionaire treating me as if I’m belle of the ball, when my own dad is treating me like I don’t exist.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Beyer Blinder Belle, lead developer on the building's exterior, enlisted a speciality manufacturer in California to replicate and restore thousands of terra-cotta pieces from the facade, reinstalling each by hand.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

It comprises four main hotel buildings, from the Belle Epoque to the ultra-modern, plus seven restaurants, along with other villas and residences.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

Mining-related sculptures, including statues of Jim and Belle Butler, who staked the first claim in the 20th century silver rush, dot the main thoroughfare.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026

Belle is still doing as she’s always done.

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

Tabitha Pritts, described by the local newspaper as “one of the most popular belles of the Nooksack Valley,” caught his eye, and he hers.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2023

There are no benevolent white belles and polite gentlemen in “Emancipation,” no trace of the grotesque plantation fantasies so beloved by old Hollywood.

From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2022

She took off cantering back toward the center of town, where the society belles were gathering for an afternoon outing.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan