ring a bell

verb

To seem at least vaguely familiar.

“His face rings a bell. I wonder if I know him from somewhere.”

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Meanings

verbring a bell (third-person singular simple present rings a bell, present participle ringing a bell, simple past rang a bell, past participle rung a bell)

present singular third person rings a bell · participle present ringing a bell · past rang a bell · participle past rung a bell · alternative ring bells

  1. idiomaticinformalTo seem at least vaguely familiar.

    His face rings a bell. I wonder if I know him from somewhere.

    1 more example

    Our boy tells me Fring took him there to visit one of the patients, someone Pinkman says you'll definitely remember — Tio Salamanca. Old guy in a wheelchair? Uh... doesn't talk, rings a bell. Huh — I mean, does that ring a bell? I mean, the guy actually has to ring a bell.

    2011, Vince Gilligan, “Face Off”, in Breaking Bad, season 4, episode 13 (television production), spoken by Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk)
  2. idiomaticinformalTo spark a previously forgotten memory.
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ring, a, bell.

Translations

Catalan sonar
  • sonarto seem vaguely familiar
Chinese Mandarin 聽起來熟悉 /听起来熟悉
  • 聽起來熟悉 /听起来熟悉 (tīngqǐlái shúxī)to seem vaguely familiar
Czech to mi přijde povědomé, to mi něco připomíná
  • to mi přijde povědométo seem vaguely familiar
  • to mi něco připomínáto seem vaguely familiar
  • to mi něco říkáto seem vaguely familiar
Dutch een belletje doen rinkelen, iets zeggen
  • een belletje doen rinkelento seem vaguely familiar
  • iets zeggento seem vaguely familiar
Estonian tuttav ette tulema
  • tuttav ette tulemato seem vaguely familiar
Finnish soittaa kelloa
  • soittaa kelloato seem vaguely familiar
French dire quelque chose
  • dire quelque choseto seem vaguely familiar
German bekannt vorkommen, etwas sagen
  • bekannt vorkommento seem vaguely familiar
  • etwas sagento seem vaguely familiar
Hungarian rémlik, ismerős
  • rémlikto seem vaguely familiar
  • ismerősto seem vaguely familiar
  • ismerősen csengto seem vaguely familiar
Italian far venire in mente, suonare familiare
  • far venire in menteto seem vaguely familiar
  • suonare familiareto seem vaguely familiar
Portuguese lembrar (algo), soar familiar
  • lembrar (algo)to seem vaguely familiar
  • soar familiarto seem vaguely familiar
  • dizer alguma coisato seem vaguely familiar
Russian быть знако́мым, припомина́ть
  • быть знако́мым (bytʹ znakómym)to seem vaguely familiar
  • припомина́ть (pripominátʹ)to seem vaguely familiar
Spanish sonar
  • sonarto seem vaguely familiar
Swedish ringa en klocka
  • ringa en klockato seem vaguely familiar
Cite this entry
APA

ring a bell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ring%20a%20bell

MLA

“ring a bell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ring%20a%20bell. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ring a bell,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ring%20a%20bell.

Source: ring a bell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.