peal

American  

[peel] / pil /

noun

peals plural

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

---

verb (used with object)

peals, present (3rd person singular) pealed, past participle, past pealing present participle

1. to sound loudly and sonorously.

   to peal the bells of a tower.

2. Obsolete. to assail with loud sounds.

verb (used without object)

peals, present (3rd person singular) pealed, past participle, past pealing present participle

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

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unpealed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• peals
  plural

Participles

• pealing
  present
• pealed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• peal
  simple
• peals
  simple
• have pealed
  perfect
• has pealed
  perfect
• am pealing
  progressive
• are pealing
  progressive
• is pealing
  progressive
• have been pealing
  perfect progressive
• has been pealing
  perfect progressive

Past

• pealed
  simple
• had pealed
  perfect
• was pealing
  progressive
• were pealing
  progressive
• had been pealing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will peal
  simple
• will have pealed
  perfect
• will be pealing
  progressive
• will have been pealing
  perfect progressive

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

Investigators alleged Peal, a driver for DHL, first met the girl when he delivered a package to her home near Newark last fall.

From Washington Times • Feb. 19, 2020

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

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

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison