video doorbell

noun

plural video doorbells

: a small security camera that is designed for use on an exterior door, that includes or connects to a doorbell, and that often has a microphone and speaker : doorbell camera

Video doorbells are security cameras that are built into a doorbell.

—Consumer Reports

A video doorbell, sometimes called a doorbell camera, is an outdoor camera placed on someone's front door, either battery-powered or hardwired into an existing doorbell and chime setup. The user gets notified via a mobile app either when someone pushes the doorbell, or when the camera detects motion or a person, depending on its artificial intelligence capabilities.

—Aliza Vigderman and Gabe Turner

Examples of video doorbell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It’s also gotten harder with new technology—the Ring video doorbell, in particular, which allows homeowners to tell you to bug off without ever having to open the door. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026

The Show 16 is designed as a household hub, a central place to see the family calendar, check the week’s meal plan, view family photos, control smart home devices, and see who’s at the video doorbell. — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 28 Oct. 2026

Older video doorbells were notorious for their wide, horizontal field of view. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026

The product has since become one of the most ubiquitous security features on the market, with Ring becoming for video doorbells what Kleenex is to tissues. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for video doorbell

• mademoiselle
• materiel
• subparallel
• antiparallel
• antipersonnel
• bagatelle
• calomel
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele