Synonyms

diving bell

American

noun

a chamber with an open bottom in which persons can go underwater without special apparatus, water being excluded from the upper part by compressed air fed in by a hose.

diving bell British

noun

an early diving submersible having an open bottom and being supplied with compressed air

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of diving bell

First recorded in 1655–65

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.

The process resembles natural strategies seen in diving bell spiders, which carry air bubbles underwater, and in fire ants, which form floating rafts using their water-resistant bodies.

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2026

He said he and the other diver Dave Youasa - who had made it back to the diving bell - could not do anything to help Mr Lemons until the boat was up-and-running again.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025

Varieties of which creature include the sun, zebra, peacock, and diving bell?

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2023

DARHT’s experiments take place within a steel vessel shaped like a diving bell.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 20, 2023

“Today Seaman Caden’s diving bell shall be put to the test, and the manner of our descent shall be once and for all determined.”

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023