• IPA: /piːl/

peal (plural peals)

1. A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc.
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

     And, falling on a bench, he laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks, I could not help joining; and we laughed together, peal after peal […]

   • a fair peal of artillery

   • c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act III, scene ii]:

     whether those peals of praise be his or no

   • and a deep thunder, peal on peal, afar

2. A set of bells tuned to each other according to the diatonic scale.
3. The changes rung on a set of bells.

• German: Dröhnen
• Spanish: estruendo

• Spanish: campanada, campaneo, tañido, repique, repiqueteo

peal (peals, present participle pealing; past and past participle pealed)

1. (intransitive) To sound with a peal or peals.
   • 1864, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christmas Bells

     Then pealed the bells more loud and deep...

   • 1939, Bing Crosby, In My Merry Oldsmobile

     To the church we'll swiftly steal, then our wedding bells will peal,

     You can go as far you like with me, in my merry Oldsmobile.

   • 2006, New York Times ↗

     The bell pealed 20 times, clanging into the dusk as Mr. Bush’s motorcade drove off.

2. (transitive) To utter or sound loudly.

   • The warrior's name, / Though pealed and chimed on all the tongues of fame.

3. (transitive) To assail with noise.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708 ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554 ↗:

     Nor was his ear less pealed.

4. (intransitive) To resound; to echo.

   • And the whole air pealed / With the cheers of our men.

5. (UK, dialect) To pour out.
6. (obsolete) To appeal.

peal (plural peals)

1. A small salmon; a grilse; a sewin.

1. Surname