bell

/bel/
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bell

A child rings a small brass bell on the classroom desk.

Definition

  1. Noun:

    • A hollow, typically cup-shaped metallic object that produces a clear ringing sound when struck: A device used for signaling, often found in churches, schools, or on animals.
    • The sound produced by such an object: The clear, resonant tone made when a bell is rung.
    • A bell-shaped object or part: Anything that flares outward in a shape resembling that of a bell.
    • A push button that rings a bell: A device at a door that, when pressed, causes an interior bell to sound as a signal.

  2. Verb:

    • To attach a bell to something: To fasten a bell onto an animal or object.
    • To flare out like a bell: To take on a widening, bell-like shape.
Examples of Usage

  • Noun:

    • The church bell rings every Sunday morning.
    • I heard the bell from the town square.
    • The flower has a beautiful bell shape.
    • Please ring the doorbell when you arrive.

  • Verb:

    • The farmer decided to bell the lead goat.
    • The trumpet's end bells outward.
Advanced Usage

  • "Saved by the bell": Rescued from a difficult situation by a last-minute interruption.

    • He was about to be asked a very difficult question but was saved by the bell when the fire alarm rang.

  • "Ring a bell": To sound familiar; to trigger a vague memory.

    • Does the name 'Marjorie' ring a bell? I think we met her last year.

  • Nautical Time: In a maritime context, the day is divided into watches signaled by bells. "Eight bells" marks the end of a four-hour watch (e.g., 4:00, 8:00, 12:00).

    • The watch change occurs at eight bells.
Variants and Related Words

  • Bell-shaped (adj): Having a flaring, curved shape like that of a bell.

    • The graph showed a bell-shaped curve.

  • Doorbell (n): A bell at a door activated by a button to announce visitors.

  • Handbell (n): A small bell designed to be held and rung by hand.
Synonyms
  • Chime: A melodious ringing sound, often from a set of bells.
  • Gong: A large, flat metal disc that produces a resonant sound when struck.
  • Tocsin: An alarm bell or signal.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Phrases
  • Bell out: To flare or widen out.
    • The pipe bells out at the end to increase airflow.
Related Idioms

  • "As clear as a bell": Very clear and easy to hear or understand.

    • Even over the phone, her instructions were as clear as a bell.

  • "To bell the cat": To undertake a dangerous or difficult task on behalf of a group. (From a fable about mice who want to bell a cat to hear it coming.)

    • Everyone agreed the manager was a problem, but no one wanted to bell the cat and complain to the director.
bell

A child rings a small brass bell on the classroom desk.

Noun
  1. the flared opening of a tubular device
  2. a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument
  3. United States inventor (born in Scotland) of the telephone (1847-1922)
  4. English painter; sister of Virginia Woolf; prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group (1879-1961)
  5. a phonetician and father of Alexander Graham Bell (1819-1905)
  6. the shape of a bell
  7. (nautical) each of the eight half-hour units of nautical time signaled by strokes of a ship's bell; eight bells signals 4:00, 8:00, or 12:00 o'clock, either a.m. or p.m.
  8. the sound of a bell being struck
    • saved by the bell
    • she heard the distant toll of church bells
  9. a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed
  10. a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
Verb
  1. attach a bell to
    • bell cows

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