bells

9 definitions • 15 examples

an electrical device that makes a ringing sound when you press a button:

I stood at the front door and rang the bell several times.

a hollow metal object shaped like a cup that makes a ringing sound when hit by something hard, especially a clapper:

The church bells rang out to welcome in the New Year.

to put a bell or bells on something:

They wear traditional dress with bare feet and belled ankles.

He belled their cats in an attempt to stop them killing birds.

a belled cap/sleigh

to telephone someone:

Bell me when you're ready, OK?

I belled him on his mobile.

She belled Monday morning and told me the news.

to swell or curve outwards in a shape like a metal bell:

We saw the ship, her sail belling in the wind, the spray bursting across her bows.

She wore a beautiful satin coat that belled out at the back.

a hollow, cup-shaped, metal object that makes a ringing sound when a part hanging inside swings against its sides, or when it is hit by any hard object:

The school bell was ringing.

A bell is also a doorbell.

the sound that signals the beginning and end of a period of trading on a stock exchange:

after/before the bell The company said after the bell on Wednesday that its quarterly profit rose because of a 36% increase in sales of its software.

Yesterday, all three major American indexes fell immediately after the opening bell.

used to describe an occasion when you realize that something is wrong:

ring/set off/sound warning bells These figures should sound warning bells that the consumer economy is increasingly fragile.

Soaring costs of oil and gold set alarm bells ringing around the world.