diving bell

American  

noun

diving bells plural

1. 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

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• diving bells
  plural

Etymology

Origin of diving bell

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diving bell

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

Once the pair were on a framework under the diving bell, Mr Allcock said he was able to pull Mr Lemons inside using a set of pully systems ropes.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2025

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

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 20, 2023

In December 1962, he intended to descend deeper than anyone before him: 1,000 feet down, off Santa Catalina Island, near Los Angeles, in a diving bell called the Atlantis.

From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2023

“Today is truly a momentous day,” the captain tells us, “for we shall test the diving bell and see if Caden’s knowledge of deep-sea exploration rings true.”

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman