doorbell

noun, verb — 3 senses

doorbell

noun

UK /ˈdɔː.bɛl/ · US /ˈdɔɹ.bɛl/

Etymology From door + bell.

1

A bell, buzzer, or chime device mounted on or adjacent to a door's exterior, meant to be rung by a visitor to announce one's presence.

  • There are, of course, smart speakers (which roughly a quarter of American homes have) and smart thermostats, as well as smart thermometers, smart mattress covers, smart coffee makers, smart doorbells, and even, yes, smart toasters.2018 December 18, Joe Pinsker, “The Coming Commodification of Life at Home”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 25 Jan 2019:
Derived terms
devil's doorbell, ring the devil's doorbell, smart doorbell, video doorbell

doorbell

verb

Etymology From door + bell.

1

To ring many doorbells in an effort to contact people and thereby spread information or solicit.

2

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.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.