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Doorbell vs Chime - What's the difference?

doorbell | chime |

In intransitive terms the difference between doorbell and chime

is that doorbell is to ring many doorbells in an effort to contact people and thereby spread information or solicit while chime is to agree; to correspond.

In transitive terms the difference between doorbell and chime

is that doorbell is to ring many doorbells of (target people or an area) in an effort to contact people and thereby spread information or solicit while chime is to utter harmoniously; to recite rhythmically.

doorbell

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A device on or adjacent to an outer door for announcing one's presence. It can be mechanical, directly sounding a bell, or a button that electrically sounds a chime or buzzer inside the building.
  • A button that actives an electric doorbell.
  • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To ring many doorbells in an effort to contact people and thereby spread information or solicit.
  • To ring many doorbells of (target people or an area) in an effort to contact people and thereby spread information or solicit.
  • We doorbelled the whole district in an effort to get out the vote.

    Anagrams

    *

    chime

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) cymbalum'' (perhaps via (etyl) ''chimbe ).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (musical instruments) A musical instrument producing a sound when struck, similar to a bell (e.g. a tubular metal bar) or actually a bell. Often used in the plural to refer to the set: the chimes .
  • Sylvia had a recording of someone playing the chimes against a background of surf noise that she found calming.
    Hugo was a chime player in the school orchestra.
  • An individual ringing component of such a set.
  • Peter removed the C
  • chime from its mounting so that he could get at the dust that had accumulated underneath.
  • A small bell or other ringing or tone-making device as a component of some other device.
  • The professor had stuffed a wad of gum into the chime of his doorbell so that he wouldn't be bothered.
  • The sound of such an instrument or device.
  • The copier gave a chime to indicate that it had finished printing.
  • A small hammer or other device used to strike a bell.
  • Strike the bell with the brass chime hanging on the chain next to it.
    Derived terms
    * chimist
    Synonyms
    (Synonyms) * alarm * bell * buzz * buzzer * carillon * clapper * curfew * dinger * ding-dong * gong * peal * ringer * siren * tintinnabulum * tocsin * toll * vesper

    Verb

    (chim)
  • To make the sound of a chime.
  • The microwave chimed to indicate that it was done cooking.
    I got up for lunch as soon as the wall clock began chiming noon.
  • To cause to sound in harmony; to play a tune, as upon a set of bells; to move or strike in harmony.
  • * Dryden
  • And chime their sounding hammers.
  • To utter harmoniously; to recite rhythmically.
  • * Byron
  • Chime his childish verse.
  • To agree; to correspond.
  • The other lab's results chimed with mine, so I knew we were on the right track with the research.
  • * Washington Irving
  • Everything chimed in with such a humor.
  • To make a rude correspondence of sounds; to jingle, as in rhyming.
  • (Cowley)

    Derived terms

    * chime in, chime up

    Etymology 2

    See chimb.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A chine; the edge of a cask.
  • (Webster 1913)

    Anagrams

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