peal

American  

[peel] / pil /

noun

1. a loud, prolonged ringing of bells.

2. a set of bells tuned to one another.

3. a series of changes rung on a set of bells.

4. any loud, sustained sound or series of sounds, as of cannon, thunder, applause, or laughter.

   Synonyms:

   clangor, resounding, reverberation

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verb (used with object)

1. to sound loudly and sonorously.

   to peal the bells of a tower.

2. Obsolete. to assail with loud sounds.

verb (used without object)

1. to sound forth in a peal; resound.

peal ¹ British  

/ piːl /

noun

1. a loud prolonged usually reverberating sound, as of bells, thunder, or laughter

2. Leisure:Bell-ringing a series of changes rung in accordance with specific rules, consisting of not fewer than 5000 permutations in a ring of eight bells

3. (not in technical usage) the set of bells in a belfry

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verb

1. (intr) to sound with a peal or peals

2. (tr) to give forth loudly and sonorously

3. (tr) to ring (bells) in peals

peal ² British  

/ piːl /

noun

1. a dialect name for a grilse or a young sea trout

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Other Word Forms

• interpeal
  verb (used with object)
• unpealed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of peal

1350–1400; Middle English pele, akin to peal to beat, strike (now dial.)

Explanation

A peal is a loud or deep sound that is usually repeated. So, you may hear a peal of laughter or a peal of thunder, but you wouldn't refer to a solitary scream as a peal. You'll often notice the regular, repeated peal of church bells — in fact, they sometimes peal on the hour. In the fourteenth century, a peal referred specifically to church bells, in fact. The word is a shortened version of appeal, from the idea that the bells "summon" or "call " worshippers to the church. In contemporary times, peal is more often used to describe more commonly repeated sounds — like barking, laughter or thunder.

Example Sentences

You are utterly committed to your vision for "Peal" no matter what.

From Salon • Oct. 1, 2022

Peal is one of two daughters Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, leaves behind.

From Fox News • Jan. 22, 2022

It wasn’t until the 1960s, when a really important study was published by Elizabeth Peal and Wallace Lambert at McGill University in Montreal, that views started to shift.

From Washington Post • Dec. 7, 2018

Olive Branch police say 14-year-old John Aubrey Peal III turned himself in to a fire station in Illinois on Sunday.

From Washington Times • Aug. 6, 2018

This disrupter of seasons was a new girl in school named Maureen Peal.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison