peal
Americannoun
-
peals
plural
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- clangor, resounding, reverberation
verb (used with object)
-
peals,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pealed,
past participle, past
-
pealing
present participle
-
to sound loudly and sonorously.
to peal the bells of a tower.
-
Obsolete. to assail with loud sounds.
verb (used without object)
-
peals,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pealed,
past participle, past
-
pealing
present participle
noun
-
a loud prolonged usually reverberating sound, as of bells, thunder, or laughter
-
Leisure: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
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pealsimple
-
pealssimple
-
have pealedperfect
-
has pealedperfect
-
am pealingprogressive
-
are pealingprogressive
-
is pealingprogressive
-
have been pealingperfect progressive
-
has been pealingperfect progressive
Past
-
pealedsimple
-
had pealedperfect
-
was pealingprogressive
-
were pealingprogressive
-
had been pealingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of peal
1350–1400; Middle English pele, akin to peal to beat, strike (now dial.)
Explanation
A peal is a loud or deep sound that is usually repeated. So, you may hear a peal of laughter or a peal of thunder, but you wouldn't refer to a solitary scream as a peal. You'll often notice the regular, repeated peal of church bells — in fact, they sometimes peal on the hour. In the fourteenth century, a peal referred specifically to church bells, in fact. The word is a shortened version of appeal, from the idea that the bells "summon" or "call " worshippers to the church. In contemporary times, peal is more often used to describe more commonly repeated sounds — like barking, laughter or thunder.
Vocabulary lists containing peal
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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Turn It Up! Synonyms for "Loud"
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Lend Me Your Ears: Sound Words
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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.
See Examples For:
And when the stormy morning after arrives, each peal of thunder sends Julia into a paroxysm of nerves that flings her around like a handkerchief caught in a stiff breeze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
For, in case you missed it, a peal of what may or may not have been the archangel Gabriel’s horn cut through the noise a few days ago signaling, ominous, that it’s time.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2023
The bells of Westminster Abbey will peal at 1 p.m.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2023
More than 200 spectators gathered to watch the Coronation on a big screen in Jubilee Square in Brighton, while at Canterbury Cathedral, there was a prom, a live screening and a celebratory bell peal.
From BBC ● May 7, 2023
The moment she had disappeared the Starling burst into a peal of rude laughter.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
Far from the subtlety required before a camera, her powerful voice and exaggerated gestures fill the space -- and draw peals of laughter.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
Her youthful peals of laughter notwithstanding, McDermott is a veteran novelist, and the generational divide she mines in “Absolution,” a novel that one advance reviewer has called “her masterpiece,” is dead-serious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2023
Fortunately the scripts roll booming peals in every hour made available for review, all of which is best experienced fresh and with as little exposition as possible.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2023
The auditorium, which had been filled with excited shouts and peals of laughter from students just moments before, gradually grew quiet and still.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2023
Boo breaks into peals of laughter and shakes her head no.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Church bells pealed and cannons thundered when Americans learned that the Continental Congress had adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The way her voice pealed on top and nestled into a rich sound in the middle and bottom of her range — all well tuned and discreetly controlled — hinted at her conservatory training.
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
Some wounds never heal and now the plaster has been pealed back, DUP divisions are back on show.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2022
The church bells pealed over the winding streets below.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 21, 2021
My feet stuttered; Scarlet’s high laughter pealed across the gym.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
Ms. Oropesa’s limpid, flexible soprano brought a heart-tugging vulnerability to Elvira, and her pealing coloratura was both accurate and expressive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
It’s no surprise that his most iconic stint in consumerism, the “Tickle Me Elmo” doll, capitalized on his pealing giggle.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2024
The handover of the cathedral took many by surprise - an OCU priest, Vasyl Rudnytskyi, looked stunned as he walked towards the building’s gates amid the deafening pealing of bells.
From Reuters ● Jan. 7, 2023
Church bells which fell silent more than 70 years ago are pealing once more following a £79,000 restoration.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2021
The agony of those wheels on the drive, of that pealing bell, of my own first wild rush for flight to my own room.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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