tubular bells

British

plural noun

music an orchestral percussion instrument of 18 chromatically tuned metal tubes suspended vertically and struck near the top

"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

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.

Thankfully, a rewrite and the addition of some tubular bells made it much more jolly.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025

Let those tubular bells chime forth in celebration.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 5, 2023

When Paul Hansen goes to work, the tools of his trade typically include timpani, xylophone, bass drum, tubular bells, washboard, thunder sheet, glockenspiel and tambourine.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 1, 2013

If it develops as Glennie and her collaborators hope, it will be the first new permanent member there since tubular bells in the 1880s and the vibraphone in the 1920s.

From The Guardian • Aug. 18, 2010

The seniors are young enough to beat time on the tables by hammering with their spoons till the plates dance; and by tinkling their glasses like tubular bells.

From Tell England A Study in a Generation by Raymond, Ernest

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023