ring a bell
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The problem is that markets do not ring a bell when fear peaks, and the rebound often comes when sentiment still feels awful.”
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
“Unfortunately, they don’t ring a bell and tell us when it’s time to get out of the tree.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
It suited the noisy, high-energy, atmosphere in an office where loud music plays and staff are encouraged to ring a bell to cheers when a sale is completed.
From BBC • Nov. 6, 2024
If her name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, it will when it’s said in a sentence: “Something wrong? Call Anh Phoong.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2024
Perhaps 'Mursden' will ring a bell for you, as it did for me upon my first spotting it on the road atlas yesterday.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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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.