ship's bells

noun

The strokes on a ship's bell, every half hour, to mark the passage of time. In each of the day's six watches of four hours, one bell marks the end of the first half hour, eight bells marks the end of the watch.

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Meanings

nounship's bells pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlyThe strokes on a ship's bell, every half hour, to mark the passage of time. In each of the day's six watches of four hours, one bell marks the end of the first half hour, eight bells marks the end of the watch.
Cite this entry
APA

ship's bells. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ship's%20bells

MLA

“ship's bells.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ship's%20bells. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ship's bells,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ship's%20bells.

Source: ship's bells on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.