bel
noun
a unit of power ratio, equal to 10 decibels.
bel
1 American
[bel]
/ bɛl /
noun
Physics.
bel
2
American
[bel]
/ bɛl /
noun
Bel.
3
American
abbreviation
-
Belgian.
-
Belgic.
-
Belgium.
bel
1
British
/ bɛl /
noun
Bel
2
British
/ beɪl /
noun
bel
Scientific
/ bĕl /
Etymology
Origin of bel
First recorded in 1925–30; named after A. G. Bell
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:
Like the two other bel canto works presented by the company so far this season—the new production of Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” and a revival of Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment”—it was luxuriously cast and conducted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
Her voice settled down in the second act, and she brought an appropriately old-fashioned feeling to “Un bel di,” her anticipation of a fine day as hopelessly unreal as everything on the stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2024
“I was fortunate to be the assistant conductor to two major conductors of bel canto opera,” Peleggi said in an interview at Seattle Opera Center soon after arriving in town for the start of rehearsals.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2024
Born Maria Anna Sophie Cecilia Kalogeropoulos in New York in December 1923 to Greek parents, Callas was credited with the almost single-handed revival of the Italian bel canto vocal technique.
From Reuters ● Oct. 25, 2023
The goblet will still be in his room tomorrow, it must bel Let him hide it ever so well, I will find it somehow.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
He hoped Bel. would honour him with his company at the small card-party he was giving there on Thursday.
From The Black Moth A Romance of the XVIIIth Century by Heyer, Georgette
—Hah—hum—what's here— Bel. snatches her to his Bosom, as if she fainted.
From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume III by Summers, Montague
"What happened in Qatar wasn't a fluke," says veteran Moroccan journalist Hameed Bel Hassan.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Mr. Winnick paid more than $60 million for a home in Bel Air.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
The district includes some of the priciest real estate in Los Angeles, such as Bel Air and Holmby Hills, along with more historically middle-class enclaves Palms and the Fairfax District.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
As with stocks, a panic is the worst time to offload your private-credit exposure, said David Sadkin, president at Bel Air Investment Advisors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
Bel and the Serpent wasn’t so frightening, as it mainly featured the quick wits of Daniel.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
