What does "bell" mean?
A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
Bell
/bɛl/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
- Grammar: bell is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: chime, doorbell, toll, aerophone.
- Useful contrasts: detach, hush, multimodal distribution.
- Usage evidence: The church bell used to ring at three.
How to use "bell"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bell" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bell" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bell" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bell" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bell" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chime" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bell", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
"HEAR the sledges with the bells — Silver bells! What a world of merriment their melody foretells!"
- 2 The bellow or bay of certain animals, such as a hound on the hunt or a stag in rut.
- 3 a telephone utility; a Baby Bell. Canada, US
- 4 a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck wordnet
- 5 An instrument that emits a ringing sound, situated on a bicycle's handlebar and used by the cyclist to warn of their presence.
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 the flared opening of a tubular device wordnet
- 7 The sounding of a bell as a signal.
"Referee Steve Smoger was an almost invisible presence in the ring as both men went at it, although he did have a word with Froch when he landed with a shot after the bell at the end of the eighth."
- 8 a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument wordnet
- 9 A telephone call. British, informal
"I’ll give you a bell later."
- 10 a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed wordnet
- 11 A signal at a school that tells the students when a class is starting or ending.
- 12 the sound of a bell being struck wordnet
- 13 The flared end of a brass or woodwind instrument.
- 14 the shape of a bell wordnet
- 15 Any of a series of strokes on a bell (or similar), struck every half hour to indicate the time (within a four hour watch)
- 16 (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. wordnet
- 17 The flared end of a pipe, designed to mate with a narrow spigot.
- 18 The bell character.
- 19 Anything shaped like a bell, such as the cup or corolla of a flower.
"In a cowslip's bell I lie."
- 20 The part of the capital of a column included between the abacus and neck molding; also used for the naked core of nearly cylindrical shape, assumed to exist within the leafage of a capital.
- 21 The rounded upper part of a jellyfish.
- 22 A bubble. Scotland, archaic
"He swam to the place where Mary disappeared but there was neither boil nor gurgle on the water, nor even a bell of departing breath, to mark the place where his beloved had sunk."
- 23 Clipping of bell-end (“stupid or contemptible person”). British, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, slang, vulgar
Verb
- 1 To attach a bell to. transitive
"Who will bell the cat?"
- 2 To bellow or roar. intransitive
"This animal is said to harbour in the place where he resides. When he cries, he is said to bell; the print of his hoof is called the slot; his tail is called the single; his excrement the fumet; his horns are called his head [...]."
- 3 attach a bell to wordnet
- 4 To shape so that it flares out like a bell. transitive
"to bell a tube"
- 5 To utter in a loud manner; to thunder forth. transitive
"Their leaders bell their bleating tunes In doleful sound."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To telephone. slang, transitive
""Vinny, you tosser, it's Keith. I thought you were back today. I'm in town. Bell us on the mobile."
- 7 To develop bells or corollas; to take the form of a bell; to blossom. intransitive
"Hops bell."
- 8 To ring a bell.
"So that the Euston signalman may be advised of approaching trains as soon as possible, the Camden signalman sets up and transmits the description of each train immediately after it is belled to him."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname of Scottish and northern English origin for a bell ringer, bellmaker, or from someone who lived "at the Bell (inn)." countable, uncountable
"“As far as I’m concerned, wives come and go, but Weezers are forever. And if Rivers [Cuomo] doesn’t realize that, then maybe he just doesn’t understand what being a Weezer is all about.” At press time, an increasingly frustrated Bell had reportedly announced plans to split off from the group and pursue projects as a solo Weezer."
- 2 The Bell telephone company (after Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.) countable, uncountable
- 3 A male given name transferred from the surname, of occasional usage. countable, uncountable
- 4 A female given name, variant of Belle; mostly used as a middle name in the 19th century. countable, uncountable
"Here, Isabel, here is the good gentleman’s handkerchief; keep it for him now, till he comes to see little Bell again."
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; A city in Los Angeles County, California. countable, uncountable
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- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Gilchrist County, Florida. countable, uncountable
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Logan County, Illinois. countable, uncountable
- 8 A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Adair County, Oklahoma. countable, uncountable
- 9 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. countable, uncountable
- 10 A number of places in the United States:; Three townships in Pennsylvania. countable, uncountable
- 11 A village in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. countable, uncountable
- 12 A village in the City of Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. countable, uncountable
- 13 A rural town in Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. countable, uncountable
- 14 A municipality of Mayen-Koblenz district, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. countable, uncountable
- 15 A municipality of Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis district, Rhineland-Palatinate. countable, uncountable
Example
"The church bell used to ring at three."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bell"?
Common synonyms include: chime, doorbell, toll, aerophone, affix, aid to navigation.
How do you use "bell" in a sentence?
The church bell used to ring at three.
How do you pronounce "bell"?
Pronounced /bɛl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English belle, from Old English belle (“bell”), from Proto-Germanic *bellǭ. Cognate with West Frisian belle, bel, Dutch bel, Low German Belle, Bel, Danish bjælde, Swedish bjällra, Norwegian bjelle, Icelandic bjalla.
Etymology 2
From Middle English bellen, from Old English bellan (“to bellow; make a hollow noise; roar; bark; grunt”), from Proto-Germanic *bellaną (“to sound; roar; bark”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to sound; roar; bark”). Cognate with Scots bell (“to shout; speak loudly”), Dutch bellen (“to ring”), German Low German bellen (“to ring”), German bellen (“to bark”), Swedish böla (“to low; bellow; roar”).