bel

[ bel ]

/ bɛl /

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noun Physics.

a unit of power ratio, equal to 10 decibels.

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Origin of bel

First recorded in 1925–30; named after A. G. Bell

Words nearby bel

bejewel, bejewelled, Bekaa, keen about, be, Békésy, bel, Bela, belabor, belabor the point, belabour, Belafonte

Other definitions for bel (2 of 3)

bel²

[ bel ]

/ bɛl /

noun

bael.

Other definitions for bel (3 of 3)

Bel.

abbreviation

Belgian.

Belgic.

Belgium.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bel in a sentence

I was sitting in this big empty house in Bel Air, with a phone with five extensions which we no longer needed.
Joan Rivers: Our Last Interview|Tim Teeman|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brooks: We holed up in the Bel Air Hotel, where Gene was staying, and we acted all the parts out.
Mel Brooks Is Always Funny and Often Wise in This 1975 Playboy Interview|Alex Belth|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
CHERISHED MEMORIES FROM SHOOTING Tim Matheson: We shot near Ronald Reagan's Bel Air home, the Western White House.
‘She’s All That' 15th Anniversary: Cast and Crew Reminisce About the Making of the ‘90s Classic|Marlow Stern|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was sitting in his Bel Air home interviewing him and he had some friends over.
More Rich, High-Powered Women Are Turning to Matchmakers to Find Love|Paula Froelich|August 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST

In the book you compare President Obama to the character Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Man Up, Mr. President: D.L. Hughley on Obama’s Bullies|Allison Samuels|August 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Bel is broken, Nebo is destroyed: their idols are put upon beasts and cattle, your burdens of heavy weight even unto weariness.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The king, therefore, put them to death, and delivered Bel into the power of Daniel: who destroyed him and his temple.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
But if you can shew that Bel eateth these things, Daniel shall die, because he hath blasphemed against Bel.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Don't you realize that you are about to be flung over a cliff and that a mad bull is waiting bel-o-o-w to catch you on his horns?
Ruth Fielding At College|Alice B. Emerson
I bel'eve that I'd rather guard wagon-trains and fight cavalry than have such another day as this.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6)|John McElroy

British Dictionary definitions for bel (1 of 2)

bel

/ (bɛl) /

noun

a unit for comparing two power levels, equal to the logarithm to the base ten of the ratio of the two powersSymbols: B, b See also decibel

Word Origin for bel

C20: named after Alexander Graham Bell

British Dictionary definitions for bel (2 of 2)

Bel

/ (beɪl) /

noun

(in Babylonian and Assyrian mythology) the god of the earth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for bel

bel

[ bĕl ]

A unit of measurement equal to ten decibels.