Bellows

/ˈbɛl.oʊz/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. At its most simple terms a bellows is a container which is deformable in such a way as to alter its volume which has an outlet or outlets where one wishes to blow air.
  • Grammar: bellows is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: accordion, air blower, air pump, antlia.
  • Useful contrasts: murmur, smother, stifle.
  • Usage evidence: Uillean Pipes - translated, they'd be called elbow pipes - are Irish bagpipes that are blown up using bellows, so one can drink while playing.

How to use "bellows"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bellows" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. 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 "bellows" 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 "bellows" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bellows" 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 "bellows" 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 "accordion" 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 "bellows", 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. 1
    A device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. At its most simple terms a bellows is a container which is deformable in such a way as to alter its volume which has an outlet or outlets where one wishes to blow air.

    "When wood fires were common, so were bellows for helping start them."

  2. 2
    plural of bellow form-of, plural
  3. 3
    (used in the plural) a mechanical device that blows a strong current of air; used to make a fire burn more fiercely or to sound a musical instrument wordnet
  4. 4
    Any flexible container or enclosure, as one used to cover a moving joint.

    "The three motors on each bogie are force ventilated from a blower mounted in the adjacent nose-end compartment of the superstructure, the air being led by ducts and flexible bellows connections to the air inlet at the commutator end of the motor."

  5. 5
    The lungs. archaic, informal

    "“Why, who should J. B. mean by Joe, but old Joe Bagstock—Joseph—your slave—Joe, Ma’am? Here! Here’s the man! Here are the Bagstock bellows, Ma’am!” cried the Major, striking himself a sounding blow on the chest."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    Flexible, light-tight enclosures connecting the lensboard and the camera back.
  2. 7
    That which fans the fire of hatred, jealousy, etc. figuratively
Verb
  1. 1
    To operate a bellows; to direct air at (something) using a bellows. intransitive, transitive

    "[…] I was recommended to the place as a man who could give another man as good as he brought, and I took it. It’s easier than bellowsing and hammering."

  2. 2
    third-person singular simple present indicative of bellow form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person
  3. 3
    To expand and contract like a bellows. figuratively, intransitive

    "[…] [the dogs] sprang up, and, with a grand spraying of the crisp snow as they fleetly clambered up the steep side, they were with us in an incredibly short time, with pink tongues protruding, sides bellowsing, and sterns wagging."

  4. 4
    To fold up like a bellows; to accordion. transitive

    "Without being tight […] the boot leg should fit close. The ankle should be supple as a stocking, and “bellowsed” to make sure of suppleness."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    plural of Bellow form-of, plural

Synonyms

All synonyms
accordionair blowerair pumpantliabellowblow

Example

"Uillean Pipes - translated, they'd be called elbow pipes - are Irish bagpipes that are blown up using bellows, so one can drink while playing."

Common questions

What does "bellows" mean?

A device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. At its most simple terms a bellows is a container which is deformable in such a way as to alter its volume which has an outlet or outlets where one wishes to blow air.

What is a synonym for "bellows"?

Common synonyms include: accordion, air blower, air pump, antlia, bellow, blow.

How do you use "bellows" in a sentence?

Uillean Pipes - translated, they'd be called elbow pipes - are Irish bagpipes that are blown up using bellows, so one can drink while playing.

How do you pronounce "bellows"?

Pronounced /ˈbɛl.oʊz/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English belwes, plural of belu, belwe, a northern form of beli, from Old English bæliġ, northern form of bielġ, from Proto-Germanic *balgiz. Compare German Balg. See also belly. For the pronunciation /ˈbɛl.əs/, compare bodice, gallows.

Etymology 2

See bellow

More for "bellows"