peal Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a deep prolonged sound (as of thunder or large bells)
    rolling; pealing; roll.
  2. verb ring recurrently
    • bells were pealing
  3. verb sound loudly and sonorously
    ring.
    • the bells rang

WordNet

Peal noun
Etymology
Etymol. uncertain.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A small salmon; a grilse; a sewin. Prov. Eng.
Peal intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To appeal. Obs. Spencer.
Peal noun
Etymology
An abbrev. of F. appel a call, appeal, ruffle of a drum, fr. appeller to call, L. appellare. See Appeal.
Definitions
  1. A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, of a multitude, etc. "A fair peal of artillery." Hayward.
    Whether those peals of praise be his or no. Shak.
    And a deep thunder, peal on peal, afar. Byron.
  2. A set of bells tuned to each other according to the diatonic scale; also, the changes rung on a set of bells.
Peal intransitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Pealed ; present participle & verbal noun Pealing
Definitions
  1. To utter or give out loud sounds.
    There let the pealing organ blow. Milton.
  2. To resound; to echo.
    And the whole air pealed With the cheers of our men. Longfellow.
Peal transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To utter or give forth loudly; to cause to give out loud sounds; to noise abroad.
    The warrior's name, Though pealed and chimed on all the tongues of fame. J. Barlow.
  2. To assail with noise or loud sounds.
    Nor was his ear less pealed. Milton.
  3. To pour out. Prov. Eng. Halliwell.

Webster 1913