bellows
noun · verb
Form of bellow , third-person singular of bellow.
Simple meaning
Any flexible container or enclosure, as one used to cover a moving joint.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
behlohzSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbɛloʊz
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. At its most simple terms a bellows is a container which is deformable in such a way as to alter its volume which has an outlet or outlets where one wishes to blow air.
Any flexible container or enclosure, as one used to cover a moving joint.
figurative
That which fans the fire of hatred, jealousy, etc.
verb
third-person singular of bellow
Make a loud noise, as of animal
third-person singular of bellow
To make a loud, deep, hollow noise like the roar of an angry bull.
intransitivetransitive
To operate a bellows; to direct air at (something) using a bellows.
transitive
To fold up like a bellows; to accordion.
intransitivefiguratively
To expand and contract like a bellows.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Any flexible container or enclosure, as one used to cover a moving joint.
Used this way, bellows is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Shout loudly and without restraint.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Small bottom-dwelling fish of warm seas having a compressed body and a long snout with a toothless mouth.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. At its most simple terms a bellows is a container which is deformable in such a way as to alter its volume which has an outlet
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.