bell buoy

American  

noun

Nautical.

1. a buoy having a bell that is rung by the motion of the buoy.

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bell buoy British  

noun

1. a navigational buoy fitted with a bell, the clapper of which strikes when the waves move the buoy

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Etymology

Origin of bell buoy

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

The island is silent year-round except for the clanging of a bell buoy and the far-off drone of lobster boats.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2020

Hart stayed with Bucky past Boca Grande�s second bell buoy.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then, evoking a passage into a quiet bay, little waves lapped with a feathery sound on a soft beach, and a bell buoy clanked mournfully.

From Time Magazine Archive

There is now a bell buoy on the reef.

From The Geological Story of the Isle of Wight by Hughes, J. Cecil

The dogged booming of a gun from a shore battery sounded lonely and remote as a bell buoy.

From The Long Roll by Johnston, Mary