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
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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
A peal of savage barking broke out nearby.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
QLAYAA, Lebanon — The bells rang, their peals obscuring the buzz of the Israeli drone overhead as the casket of Father Pierre al-Rahi arrived at the parish he had served.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
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
Hours were marked by peals of screams following every uncovered worm wriggling in the corn silks, and each of us proudly showing off our inky fingertips from pressing out purple hull peas from their pods.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2025
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
Sauakari picked out the widest available shoes and held them against Wiwor’s feet, but the shoes were still too narrow, sending Achmad and Sauakari and Ping Wah into peals of laughter.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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
Some wounds never heal and now the plaster has been pealed back, DUP divisions are back on show.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2022
After prayer and reading of portions of the Episcopal service, the organ pealed and chimes rung as the large congregation left the church.
From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2019
Hearing about this, both Ms. Drury and Ms. Blain-Cruz pealed with affectionate laughter.
From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2019
Then whoops and shouts pealed from every quarter, and howls and even a trombone blasting.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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
Then other bell sounds tumbled over the first pealing.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
