bear away the bell

verb

To be superior in something.

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Meanings

verbbear away the bell (third-person singular simple present bears away the bell, present participle bearing away the bell, simple past bore away the bell, past participle borne away the bell)

present singular third person bears away the bell · participle present bearing away the bell · past bore away the bell · participle past borne away the bell

  1. idiomaticobsoleteTo be superior in something.

    And as these western men do bear away the bell for might and sleight in wrestling , so the scholars here have always acquitted themselves with credit in palæstrâ literariâ

    1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI)

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
exceedexcelpasstop

Origin

A bell was once a traditional prize in races.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bear away the bell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bear%20away%20the%20bell

MLA

“bear away the bell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bear%20away%20the%20bell. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bear away the bell,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bear%20away%20the%20bell.

Source: bear away the bell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.