verb
toll
To ring a bell slowly.
The church bell tolls slowly across the quiet village.
Etymology
Probably developed from an older pulling or drawing verb, applied to a bell rope. The exact ancestry is uncertain and separate from the payment noun.
More examples
- They tolled the bell at noon.
- A distant bell was tolling for the funeral.
- The bell tolled once for each person remembered.
Forms
toll · tolls · tolled · tolling
Similar words
- peal
- Usually a louder sequence of ringing rather than slow single strokes.
- chime
- Chime can suggest a lighter musical ringing rather than a slow solemn bell.