bell lap

American  

noun

1. the final lap in a race of repeated circuits, signaled by the ringing of a bell.

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Etymology

Origin of bell lap

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

For organizers of the 2026 World Cup, Friday’s tournament draw is a like the bell lap of a long-distance race, the moment when the slow slog turns into a sprint.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

The Falcon senior went back and forth with Helen Braybrook of Colorado State Pueblo, then took the lead at the bell lap and hung on to win by two-tenths of a second.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2023

Last August at World Championships in Beijing, Huddle ran the 10,000 of her life and at the bell lap was leading a group of eight runners.

From Washington Times • Jun. 24, 2016

If the Sochi Games are Wickenheiser’s bell lap, starting with her turn as her country’s flag-bearer in last Friday’s opening ceremony, she is summoning a wicked finishing kick.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2014

Marry, my Lord her father, which fell into a fit of ire to see her perversity.—There goeth the dinner bell; lap thy work, child.

From The White Rose of Langley A Story of the Olden Time by Holt, Emily Sarah