belfry
noun
bel·fry
| \ ˈbel-frē
\
\
plural belfries
Definition of belfry
1
: a bell tower
especially
: one surmounting or attached to another structure
2
: a room or framework for enclosing a bell
3
: head sense 2a
batty in the belfry
Illustration of belfry
belfry 1
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Examples of belfry in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The blaze, whose cause was linked to renovation work, damaged much of the nearly thousand-year-old cathedral, though both iconic belfry towers were, luckily, saved. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "The Billionaires Who Pledged to Rebuild Notre Dame Haven’t Paid a Cent," 18 June 2019 Inside the 225-foot north tower, flames were beginning to lick at the wooden belfry, which not only holds its massive bells but also helps support the tower’s stone arches. — Nick Kostov, WSJ, "How Paris Firefighters Helped Preserve Notre Dame Towers," 17 Apr. 2019 Once a schoolhouse built in 1796, the building originally boasted a belfry and was moved to its current location sometime in the 1850s. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Historic school house built in 1796 asks $450K," 11 Oct. 2018 His only friends are the statues and gargoyles in the belfry, who come to life in his mind. — Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com, "JPAS 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' rings out with extravagance," 27 Feb. 2018 The church belfry in Herxheim now joins a number of other German sites with some Nazi affiliation that have been converted to a makeshift memorial. — Amy B Wang, Washington Post, "German village votes to keep bell inscribed with ‘Everything for the Fatherland, Adolf Hitler’," 27 Feb. 2018 Apparently intended to eventually have twin belfries and a domed roof, the chapel was never completed and today is a mere skeleton that sits open to the elements. — Robert Kolarik, San Antonio Express-News, "Alamo defenders lacking water," 23 Feb. 2018 The belfry of Cagsawa’s stone church still juts from the ground in an eerie reminder of Mayon’s fury. — Time, "The Philippines' Most Active Volcano Is Spewing Fountains of Lava Two Miles Away," 23 Jan. 2018 The belfry of Cagsawa’s stone church still juts out from the ground in an eerie reminder of Mayon’s fury. — Jim Gomez, The Seattle Times, "Philippine volcano explodes, villagers flee back to shelters," 22 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belfry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for belfry
belfry
noun
English Language Learners Definition of belfry
: a tower or part of a tower where a bell or set of bells hangs
See the full definition for belfry in the English Language Learners Dictionary
belfry
noun
bel·fry
| \ ˈbel-frē
\
\
plural belfries
Kids Definition of belfry
: a tower or room in a tower for a bell or set of bells
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