peal

American  

[peel] / pil /

noun

• peals
  plural

1. a loud, prolonged ringing of bells.

2. a set of bells tuned to one another.

3. a series of changes rung on a set of bells.

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

   Synonyms:

   clangor, resounding, reverberation

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verb (used with object)

• peals,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pealed,
  past participle,  past
• pealing
  present participle

1. to sound loudly and sonorously.

   to peal the bells of a tower.

2. Obsolete. to assail with loud sounds.

verb (used without object)

• peals,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pealed,
  past participle,  past
• pealing
  present participle

1. to sound forth in a peal; resound.

peal ¹ British  

/ piːl /

noun

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

2. 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

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

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verb

1. (intr) to sound with a peal or peals

2. (tr) to give forth loudly and sonorously

3. (tr) to ring (bells) in peals

peal ² British  

/ piːl /

noun

1. a dialect name for a grilse or a young sea trout

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interpeal
  verb (used with object)
• unpealed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• peals
  plural

Participles

• pealing
  present
• pealed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• peal
  simple
• peals
  simple
• have pealed
  perfect
• has pealed
  perfect
• am pealing
  progressive
• are pealing
  progressive
• is pealing
  progressive
• have been pealing
  perfect progressive
• has been pealing
  perfect progressive

Past

• pealed
  simple
• had pealed
  perfect
• was pealing
  progressive
• were pealing
  progressive
• had been pealing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will peal
  simple
• will have pealed
  perfect
• will be pealing
  progressive
• will have been pealing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peal peals pealed pealing

Smith’s $5,000 donation proved a savvy investment: He owns two brownstones in Brooklyn today, Lee notes, with a peal of laughter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025

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

John Brooke laughed then as he never dared to laugh afterward, and the derisive Scott smiled involuntarily as he heard the hearty peal, which put the finishing stroke to poor Meg’s woe.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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

Frank said to an assembled group in Hemet, who erupted in peals of laughter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2023

"I said to the guitar player, 'You got it,' and he sang the fourth verse," she told the crowd, to peals of laughter.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 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

Santa broke into some baritone peals of laughter.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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

Westminster Abbey's bells then pealed 80 times to remember the years since the first VE Day.

From BBC ● May 8, 2025

Bells pealed over the biblical town of Bethlehem on Friday as crowds holding crosses aloft filed through the rain-soaked streets to mark Orthodox Christmas.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2023

At the end of his address, bells pealed and echoed in an empty St. Peter’s Square.

From New York Times ● Dec. 25, 2020

Downstairs the gong pealed a solemn call to lunch.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

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

But in both songs, the music swells behind him, with churchy organ and robust major chords, pealing guitar and gospelly choir harmonies.

From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2023

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

From one ghostly steeple after another he seemed to hear them pealing forth.

From "1984" by George Orwell