death bell

American  

noun

1. the bell that announces a death.

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Etymology

Origin of death bell

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

Gitl began reciting the Kaddish, rocking back and forth on the sleeping shelf with the sonorous words, and the prayer was like the tolling of a death bell.

From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen

The jester, the black company and the penitents, together with the roysterers, form now the foreground, now the background, of action, which in itself is never without the dolorous sound of the death bell.

From Freedom, Truth and Beauty by Doyle, Edward

Each stifled sigh sounded in his ear as a death bell; and each tender glance carried a point keener than the lightning's fork.

From The Life of Benjamin Franklin With Many Choice Anecdotes and admirable sayings of this great man never before published by any of his biographers by Weems, Mason Locke

And still, like the tolling of a death bell above the city's life, two thoughts beat on his mind again and again, and gave him intolerable pain.

From The Great House by Weyman, Stanley John

No, Master Soldier, the death bell doesn't ring for such corpses.

From Told by the Death's Head A Romantic Tale by J?kai, M?r