bell

[ bel ]

/ bɛl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bell ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a hollow instrument of cast metal, typically cup-shaped with a flaring mouth, suspended from the vertex and rung by the strokes of a clapper, hammer, or the like.

the stroke or sound of such an instrument: We rose at the bell.

anything in the form of a bell.

the large end of a funnel, or the end of a pipe, tube, or any musical wind instrument, when its edge is turned out and enlarged.

Architecture. the underlying part of a foliated capital.

Nautical.

any of the half-hour units of nautical time rung on the bell of a ship.
each individual ring of the bell, counted with others to reckon the time: It is now four bells.
a signal on the telegraph of a large power vessel, made between the navigating officers and the engineer.

Zoology. umbrella(def 2).

Botany. the bell-shaped corolla of a flower.

Metallurgy. a conical lid that seals the top of a blast furnace and lowers to admit a charge.

verb (used with object)

to cause to swell or expand like a bell (often followed by out): Belling out the tubes will permit a freer passage of air.

to put a bell on.

verb (used without object)

to take or have the form of a bell.

Botany. to produce bells; be in bell (said of hops when the seed vessels are forming).

Nearby words

belitung, belive, belize, belize city, belizean, bell, bell arch, bell beaker, bell book, bell bottoms, bell bronze

Idioms

bell the cat. cat(def 19).

ring a bell, to evoke a memory, especially a vague or partial recollection; remind one of something: His name rings a bell but I can't remember him.

ring someone's bell,

to provide what is desired; be satisfactory or successful: This new book just doesn't ring my bell.
Slang. to arouse sexually or bring someone to orgasm.

Also ring the bell.

saved by the bell,

(of a boxer) saved from a knockout by the ringing of a gong signaling the end of a round.
(of any person) spared from anticipated trouble by some extraneous event.

with bells on, Informal. eagerly; ready to enjoy oneself: Just say when, and we'll be there with bells on.

Origin of bell

before 1000; Middle English, Old English belle; cognate with Dutch bel; derivative of bell²

Related formsbell-less, adjective

Definition for bell (2 of 3)

bell

[ bel ]

/ bɛl /

verb (used with or without object)

to bellow like a stag in rutting time.

to bay, as a hunting dog.

noun

the cry of a rutting stag or hunting dog.

Origin of bell

1275–1325; Middle English bellen, Old English bellan to roar; cognate with Old High German bellan (German bellen to bark), Middle Dutch bellen, belen, Old Norse belja; akin to Lithuanian bal̃sas voice, Sanskrit bhaṣ- bark, bhāṣ- speak. See bellow, belch

Definition for bell (3 of 3)

Bell

[ bel ]

/ bɛl /

noun

Ac·ton

[ak-tuh n] /ˈæk tən/, pen name of Anne Brontë.

Alexander Graham,1847–1922, U.S. scientist, born in Scotland: inventor of the telephone.

(Arthur) Clive (Howard),1881–1964, English critic of literature and art.

Cur·rer

[kur-er] /ˈkɜr ər/, pen name of Charlotte Brontë.

Ellis, pen name of Emily Brontë.

James ThomasCool Papa, 1903–91, U.S. baseball player, a Negro Leagues outfielder noted for his speed.

John,1797–1869, U.S. political leader: Speaker of the House 1834–35.

a city in SW California, near Los Angeles.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bell

The bell tower bellows loudly when a little muscle power is put into it.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was only one phone left and when it would ring, the bell would echo, oddly, off the walls.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, as she feared, The Bell Jar appeared to indifferent notices and the launch—which Ted attended—was rather low-key.
Ted Hughes’s Brother on Losing Sylvia Plath|Gerald Hughes|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“This is important for people in the US,” Bell told The Daily Beast in August.
Ted Cruz saves America in This Right-Wing Coloring Book|Asawin Suebsaeng|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

All of that, and the fact that hardly anyone within the state knows who the hell Bell is, and Booker is only polling modestly.
The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy|Olivia Nuzzi|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he heard him ring the bell on the second floor, an uneasy expression came over his face.
The Goose Man|Jacob Wassermann
He said the portrait of Mrs Housman was Bell's chef-d'oeuvre.
Passing By|Maurice Baring
The table was all set and Bridget was just going to ring the bell, but the monkey didn't wait for her.
Harper's Young People, February 8, 1881|Various
Quickly she touched a bell, and in the next instant the coach had stopped and the footman was at the open door.
Belford's Magazine, Vol II, No. 10, March 1889|Various
She rang the bell and requested a room immediately, as she wanted to get ready for afternoon service.
At Home And Abroad|Margaret Fuller Ossoli

British Dictionary definitions for bell (1 of 3)

bell

/ (bɛl) /

noun

a hollow, usually metal, cup-shaped instrument that emits a musical ringing sound when struck, often by a clapper hanging inside it

the sound made by such an instrument or device, as for showing the hours or marking the beginning or end of a period of time

an electrical device that rings or buzzes as a signal

the bowl-shaped termination of the tube of certain musical wind instruments, such as the trumpet or oboe

any musical percussion instrument emitting a ringing tone, such as a glockenspiel, one of a set of hand bells, etcCompare chime 1 (def. 3)

nautical a signal rung on a ship's bell to count the number of half-hour intervals during each of six four-hour watches reckoned from midnight. Thus, one bell may signify 12.30, 4.30, or 8.30 a.m. or p.m

See diving bell

biology a structure resembling a bell in shape, such as the corolla of certain flowers or the body of a jellyfish

British slang a telephone call (esp in the phrase give someone a bell)

beat seven bells out of or knock seven bells out of British informal to give a severe beating to

bell, book, and candle

instruments used formerly in excommunications and other ecclesiastical acts
informal the solemn ritual ratification of such acts

ring a bell to sound familiar; recall to the mind something previously experienced, esp indistinctly

sound as a bell in perfect condition

the bells the ringing of bells, in a church or other public building, at midnight on December 31st, symbolizing the beginning of a new year

verb

to be or cause to be shaped like a bell

(tr) to attach a bell or bells to

bell the cat to undertake a dangerous mission

Word Origin for bell

Old English belle; related to Old Norse bjalla, Middle Low German bell; see bell ²

British Dictionary definitions for bell (2 of 3)

bell

/ (bɛl) /

noun

a bellowing or baying cry, esp that of a hound or a male deer in rut

verb

to utter (such a cry)

Word Origin for bell

Old English bellan; related to Old Norse belja to bellow, Old High German bellan to roar, Sanskrit bhāsate he talks; see bellow

British Dictionary definitions for bell (3 of 3)

Bell

/ (bɛl) /

noun

Acton, Currer (ˈkʌrə), and Ellis . pen names of the sisters Anne, Charlotte, and Emily BrontëSee Brontë

Alexander Graham . 1847–1922, US scientist, born in Scotland, who invented the telephone (1876)

Sir Francis Henry Dillon . 1851–1936, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1925)

Gertrude (Margaret Lowthian). 1868–1926, British traveller, writer, and diplomat; secretary to the British High Commissioner in Baghdad (1917–26)

Joshua. born 1967, US violinist

Dame (Susan) Jocelyn, married name Jocelyn Burnell, born 1943, British radio astronomer, who discovered the first pulsar

Vanessa, original name Vanessa Stephen . 1879–1961, British painter; a member of the Bloomsbury group, sister of Virginia Woolf and wife of the art critic Clive Bell (1881–1964)

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

Word Origin and History for bell (1 of 2)

bell

Old English belle, common North Sea Germanic (cf. Middle Dutch belle, Middle Low German belle) but not found elsewhere in Germanic (except as a borrowing), from PIE root *bhel- (4) "to sound, roar." Statistical bell curve was coined 1870s in French. Of glasses in the shape of a bell from 1640s. Bell pepper is from 1707, so called for its shape. Bell, book, and candle is a reference to a form of excommunication. To ring a bell "awaken a memory" (1934) is perhaps a reference to Pavlovian experiments.

Word Origin and History for bell (1 of 2)

bell

"attach a bell," late 14c., from bell (n.). Related: Belled; belling. Allusions to the story of the mice that bell the cat (so they can hear him coming) date to 1520s.

Medicine definitions for bell

Bell

[ bĕl ]

Sir Charles 1774-1842

British anatomist and surgeon who published detailed anatomies of the nervous system and the brain. He was the first to distinguish between sensory and motor nerves. Bell's Law and Bell's palsy are named for him.

Science definitions for bell

Bell

[ bĕl ]

Alexander Graham 1847-1922

Scottish-born American scientist and inventor whose lifelong interest in the education of deaf people led him to conceive the idea of transmitting speech by electric waves. In 1876 his experiments with a telegraph resulted in his invention of the telephone. He later produced the first successful sound recorder, an early hearing aid, and many other devices.

Idioms and Phrases with bell

bell

In addition to the idiom beginning with bell

bell the cat, who will

also see:

clear as a bell
ring a bell
saved by the bell
sound as a bell
with bells on

bell

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verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Idioms

Origin of bell

Definition for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} bell (2 of 3)

bell

verb (used with or without object)

noun

Origin of bell

Definition for bell (3 of 3)

Bell

noun

Examples from the Web for bell

British Dictionary definitions for bell (1 of 3)

bell

noun

verb

Word Origin for bell

British Dictionary definitions for bell (2 of 3)

bell

noun

verb

Word Origin for bell

British Dictionary definitions for bell (3 of 3)

Bell

noun

Word Origin and History for bell (1 of 2)

bell

Word Origin and History for bell (1 of 2)

bell

Medicine definitions for bell

Bell

Science definitions for bell

Bell

Idioms and Phrases with bell

bell

noun

Definition for bell (2 of 3)