bell and doorbell share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. bell means “a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck”. doorbell means “a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed”. bell is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɛl/
1.n.a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
2.n.a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed
3.n.the sound of a bell being struck
“saved by the bell”
/ˈdɔɹˌbɛl/
| bell | doorbell | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛl/ | /ˈdɔɹˌbɛl/ |
| Said | bel | DAWR-bel |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 4 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 11 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | bell, buzzer |
Full entry for bell · Full entry for doorbell · More comparisons
1.n.a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed