peal
Americannoun
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a loud, prolonged ringing of bells.
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a set of bells tuned to one another.
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a series of changes rung on a set of bells.
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any loud, sustained sound or series of sounds, as of cannon, thunder, applause, or laughter.
- Synonyms:
- clangor, resounding, reverberation
verb (used with object)
-
to sound loudly and sonorously.
to peal the bells of a tower.
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Obsolete. to assail with loud sounds.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a loud prolonged usually reverberating sound, as of bells, thunder, or laughter
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Leisure:Bell-ringing a series of changes rung in accordance with specific rules, consisting of not fewer than 5000 permutations in a ring of eight bells
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(not in technical usage) the set of bells in a belfry
verb
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(intr) to sound with a peal or peals
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(tr) to give forth loudly and sonorously
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(tr) to ring (bells) in peals
noun
Other Word Forms
- interpeal verb (used with object)
- unpealed adjective
Etymology
Origin of peal
1350–1400; Middle English pele, akin to peal to beat, strike (now dial.)
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.
The doorbell rang again, one urgent peal after another.
From Literature
One broadcaster from Norway, amid peals of laughter, described the chief ice technician as "scooting" down the sheet.
From BBC
Boo breaks into peals of laughter and shakes her head no.
From Literature
Smith’s $5,000 donation proved a savvy investment: He owns two brownstones in Brooklyn today, Lee notes, with a peal of laughter.
Far from the subtlety required before a camera, her powerful voice and exaggerated gestures fill the space -- and draw peals of laughter.
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.
