bells

Noun

bell (plural bells)

1. A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
   • HEAR the sledges with the bells —
     Silver bells!
     What a world of merriment their melody foretells!1848, Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells

   Synonyms:

   campane

2. An instrument that emits a ringing sound, situated on a bicycle's handlebar and used by the cyclist to warn of their presence.
3. The sounding of a bell as a signal.
   • Referee Steve Smoger was an almost invisible presence in the ring as both men went at it, although he did have a word with Froch when he landed with a shot after the bell at the end of the eighth.2011 December 18, Ben Dirs, “Carl Froch outclassed by dazzling Andre Ward”, in BBC Sport
4. (UK, informal) A telephone call.
   • I’ll give you a bell later.
5. A signal at a school that tells the students when a class is starting or ending.
6. The flared end of a brass or woodwind instrument.

See all 37 meanings of bell

Noun

bell-bottoms pl (plural only)

1. (plural, plural-only) Pants that are flared from the knee downwards, a characteristic style of the 1970s.
   • After landing, Brody, wearing bell-bottoms and large green sunglasses, announced to assembled reporters that he would be giving away his $25 million fortune to ordinary people to spread love and “cure the problems of the world.”2022 April 27, Jennifer Schuessler, “An Heir, a $25 Million Giveaway and 30,000 Unopened Letters”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   Synonyms:

   flares