1
a
: a hollow metallic device that gives off a reverberating sound when struck
b
: doorbell
2
a
: the sounding of a bell as a signal
b
: a stroke of a bell (as on shipboard) to indicate the time
also
: the time so indicated
c
: a half hour period of a watch on shipboard indicated by the strokes of a bell see Ship's Bells Table
3
: something having the form of a bell: such as
a
: the corolla of a flower
b
: a bell-shaped organ or part (such as the dewlap of a moose)
especially
: the bell- or saucer-shaped, largely gelatinous structure that forms the main part of the body of most jellyfish : umbrella entry 1 sense 3
c
: the part of the capital of a column between the abacus and neck molding
d
: the flared end of a wind instrument
e
: the open mouth of a nozzle (such as of the exhaust of a jet engine)
The heating was so intense … that the gas went rushing out the tail of the engine at 30,000 feet per second, or twice the speed at which exhaust leaves the bell of a conventional engine.—
Jeffrey Kluger
Jeffrey Kluger4
a
: a percussion instrument consisting of metal bars or tubes that when struck give out tones resembling bells
—usually used in plural
b
see also:
belled; belling; bells
1
: to provide with a bell
2
: to flare the end of (something, such as a tube) into the shape of a bell
: to take the form of a bell : flare
see also:
belled; belling; bells
: to make a resonant bellowing or baying sound
… the wild buck bells from ferny brake …—Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter ScottExamples of bell in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
Futures that indicate where the S&P 500 will trade at the opening bell dropped 2%, while Dow futures pointed to as much as a 970-point drop.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026
For the last hour, the same Dionne Warwick album had played on repeat until the songs seemed to come from Nina’s own head (One less bell to answer, One less egg to fry).
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, testimony on the cellphone ban concluded that academic performance improved and disciplinary incidents decreased in schools with the bell-to-bell ban.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bell
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
On Wall Street , the picture also looked negative ahead of the opening bell, with futures tied to all three major averages moving lower.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
Futures that indicate where the S&P 500 will trade at the opening bell dropped 2%, while Dow futures pointed to as much as a 970-point drop.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026
For the last hour, the same Dionne Warwick album had played on repeat until the songs seemed to come from Nina’s own head (One less bell to answer, One less egg to fry).
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, testimony on the cellphone ban concluded that academic performance improved and disciplinary incidents decreased in schools with the bell-to-bell ban.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bell
Cite this Entry
“Bell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bell. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bell
1 of 2 noun1
: a hollow usually cup-shaped metallic device that makes a ringing sound when struck
2
: the stroke or sound of a bell that tells the hour
3
: a half hour period of a watch on shipboard indicated by the strokes of a bell
4
: something (as a flower or the mouth of a trumpet) shaped like a bell
bell
2 of 2 verb1
: to provide with a bell
bell a cat
2
: to take the form of a bell : flare
Geographical Definition
Bell
geographical name
city in southwestern California southeast of Los Angeles population 35,477
Biographical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
