peal

[peel]

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noun

a loud, prolonged ringing of bells.

a set of bells tuned to one another.

a series of changes rung on a set of bells.

any loud, sustained sound or series of sounds, as of cannon, thunder, applause, or laughter.

verb (used with object)

to sound loudly and sonorously: to peal the bells of a tower.

Obsolete. to assail with loud sounds.

verb (used without object)

to sound forth in a peal; resound.

Origin of peal

1350–1400; Middle English pele, akin to peal to beat, strike (now dial.)

Related formsin·ter·peal, verb (used with object)un·pealed, adjective

Can be confusedpeal peel

Synonyms for peal

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR peal ON THESAURUS.COM

4. reverberation, resounding, clangor.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for peal

sound, resounding, crash, ringing, roar, thunder, rumble, reverberation, carillon, tintinnabulation, ring, blast, clamor, clap, bell, crack, toll, resonate, knell, resound

Examples from the Web for peal

Historical Examples of peal

At that moment, to his excessive astonishment, the organ began to peal forth.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
Sometimes all the bells which compose a peal tell their various uses.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield
A moment of stunned quiet had succeeded the peal of thunder.
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington
Our eyes met, and Adelaide burst into a peal of harsh laughter.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill
Ned never forgot the peal of laughter which came from his parents.
Harper's Young People, June 29, 1880
Various

British Dictionary definitions for peal

peal

noun

a loud prolonged usually reverberating sound, as of bells, thunder, or laughter

bell-ringing a series of changes rung in accordance with specific rules, consisting of not fewer than 5000 permutations in a ring of eight bells

(not in technical usage) the set of bells in a belfry

verb

(intr) to sound with a peal or peals

(tr) to give forth loudly and sonorously

(tr) to ring (bells) in peals

Word Origin for peal

C14 pele, variant of apele appeal

peal

noun

a dialect name for a grilse or a young sea trout

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

Word Origin and History for peal

mid-14c., "a ringing of a bell" especially as a call to church service, generally considered a shortened form of appeal (n.), with the notion of a bell that "summons" people to church (cf. similar evolution in peach (v.)). Extended sense of "loud ringing of bells" is first recorded 1510s.

1630s, from peal (n.). Related: Pealed; pealing.