bells
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of bells
1965–70; by shortening of the full phrase, as in shorts from short pants
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.
Now was no time to sound any alarm bells, she assured, with hopes that they stick together from here.
From Los Angeles Times
“We were a little worried to move to California, what with all the wildfires you’ve been having,” Akira heard Sue’s dad say, and alarm bells went off in her head.
From Literature
Hours after the final protocol was published last Thursday, setting “alarm bells ringing in the global health community,” in the words of one London medical professor, the administration blinked.
From Salon
Alarm bells went off among suppliers and creditors when Saks Global scrambled to raise cash to meet a June debt payment.
Lee's rise to become president of South Korea had previously sounded alarm bells in Tokyo and Washington.
From BBC
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.
