bezel

noun be·zel \ ˈbē-zəl , ˈbe- \

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

Definition of bezel

1 : a rim that holds a transparent covering (as on a watch, clock, or headlight) or that is rotatable and has special markings (as on a watch)

2 gems : the oblique (see ¹oblique 1a) side or face of a cut gem; specifically : the upper faceted portion of a brilliant projecting from the setting — see brilliant illustration

3 jewelry : a usually metal rim of a piece of jewelry in which an ornament (such as a gem) is set

Recent Examples of bezel from the Web

Garmin didn't mess with the Vivoactive 3's design too much, but immediately noticeable on the new device is the glass-like bezel surrounding the touchscreen.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Garmin’s new Vivoactive 3 Music is the best competitor to the Apple Watch," 13 June 2018
These laptops may be mass-market, but Lenovo is offering one more nice design element: thin bezels.

— melissa riofrio, PCWorld, "Lenovo's Legion Y530 and Legion Y7000 gaming laptops are designed to be subtle," 11 June 2018
The bezels do appear to be slightly narrower this year, though, and the fingerprint sensor has been moved to the back.

— jacob kastrenakes, The Verge, "The Nokia 6.1 runs Android One and arrives in the US for $269," 3 May 2018
The feature would be based on technology built into the display itself rather than via a motion sensor on the phone’s bezel, like with Samsung’s implementation, the person explained.

— mark gurman, Houston Chronicle, "Apple working on touchless controls, curved iPhone screen," 4 Apr. 2018
The bezel houses a front fingerprint reader and nothing else.

— ron amadeo, Ars Technica, "$2,100 Huawei smartphone comes with 3 rear cameras, 2 fingerprint readers," 27 Mar. 2018
Despite the larger screen, the HTC U12+ is as easy to hold and pocket as the U11 thanks to the 18:9 ratio and slimmer bezels.

— michael simon, PCWorld, "HTC U12+ hands-on: No notch, smarter edges, and real selfie portraits," 23 May 2018
Other styles include bezel-set diamonds in oval, marquise, or emerald cuts; elegant cigar bands; fully pavéd bands; and rings with three or seven diamonds across.

— emily farra, Vogue, "Introducing Ceremony, a New Line of Diamond Rings, Signets, and Pavé Bands to Celebrate “Love of All Kinds”," 10 May 2018
But Google believes navigation will indeed improve, especially with the trend towards taller phones with more narrow bezels.

— edward c. baig, USA TODAY, "Five ways Android P will change how you use your smartphone--and put it down," 8 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bezel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.