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Synonyms

bells

American  
[belz] / bɛlz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

  1. Informal. bell-bottom.

Etymology

Origin of bells

1965–70; by shortening of the full phrase, as in shorts from short pants

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A heavy quiet hangs over Theofilou's farm in the absence of the bleats from the sheep and the tinkle of their bells.

From Barron's

The people filling up trucks, trains, planes and ships with jet fuel, diesel or fuel oil are ringing alarm bells.

From The Wall Street Journal

The escalating rhetoric set off alarm bells across the Middle East, with oil-exporting Gulf countries saying that Iranian reprisals could further endanger the world economy.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I love the sound of church bells ringing,” she went on.

From Literature

The sector bears watching, but it may not be time to ring recession alarm bells just yet.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.