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.
Tightening financial conditions have amplified concerns about the fiscal health of advanced economies such as the U.S., sending bond yields to multiyear highs—one of the clearest alarm bells markets can ring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Tech CEOs privately questioned Amodei for sounding AI alarm bells.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Wedding bells are ringing for Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio and his longtime girlfriend Nikki Hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Alarm bells rang loudly when former Anthropic safety researcher Joseph Coxon said he believed the tech had a 10% chance of destroying humanity within the next 10 years.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
“Did you hear all the fire bells ringing last night?”
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
