peal

1 of 2

noun

ˈpēl

Synonyms of peal next

: the loud ringing of bells

the peal of wedding bells

: a complete set of changes (see change entry 2 sense 6) on a given number of bells

: a set of bells tuned to the tones of the major (see major entry 1 sense 7a) scale for change ringing

: a loud sound or succession of sounds

peals of laughter

peals of thunder

peal

2 of 2

verb

pealed; pealing; peals

intransitive verb

: to give out peals

transitive verb

: to utter or give forth loudly

Example Sentences

Noun the peal of wedding bells Verb the village bells pealed every hour in commemoration

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This time, she was interrupted not by the peals of the alarm, but by the clapping of hands. —

Megan Molteni, STAT, 14 Mar. 2023 Šestan let out a peal of laughter. —

Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Aug. 2022 Another peal of laughter. —

New York Times, 15 May 2021 At the top of Section 181, the drum is as startling as a peal of thunder from a clear blue sky. —

Bill Livingston, cleveland, 3 Feb. 2023 The gaping silence rings louder than any peal of laughter. —

Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 3 May 2016 Bass asked at the UCLA rally, setting off a peal of cheers. —

Michael R. Blood, ajc, 8 Nov. 2022 That's when demand is at its peal and stadiums as well as third-parties charge as much fans are willing to pay. —

Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2022 If bell-ringers produce every possible permutation in a sequence without repetitions, this has traditionally been called a full peal. —

Eugenia Cheng, WSJ, 4 Aug. 2022

Verb

Their familysong, pealing like bells just beyond reach. —

Hilary Leichter, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2020 The service was interrupted at least twice by emergency alerts pealing from cellphones scattered throughout the congregation. —

David Montgomery, New York Times, 14 July 2019 The bell now resides at the Presbyterian church, pealing electronically rather than through physical ringing. —

Laura Bednar, cleveland, 2 Dec. 2019 Winds rose, lightning flickered and thunder crashed and pealed as rain poured down. —

Martin Weil, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2019 The trumpets and horns, facing off on opposite sides of the ensemble, created an energetic, pealing, antiphonal effect in the final hornpipe. —

Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2018 That rang a familiar alarm bell in my head that didn't stop pealing throughout JeffBo's time on the stage. —

Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 18 Oct. 2017 But this time the guitarist peals a blistering line that seems to run the head melody backward. —

John Kaag, WSJ, 14 July 2017 The crowd burst into cheers and applause as the last faded away, and bells at nearby Westminster Abbey pealed a noisy farewell to their neighbor. —

Jill Lawless, The Seattle Times, 21 Aug. 2017 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.