ring a bell
Trigger a memory
Ring a bell means to sound vaguely familiar or trigger a faint memory: Does the name ring a bell?
The phrase suggests incomplete recognition—something stirs but doesn't fully surface.
If something doesn't ring a bell, you have no recollection of it at all.
Known from experience
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- recollectionRecalled mental image
- reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
- associationGroup with shared aim
recall · remembrance · flashback · nostalgia · cognition · awareness · perception · intuition
Entry alert device
- chimeMelodic bell sound
- callContact by phone
- receptionAct of receiving guests
- attentionFocused mental awareness
front desk · ding · butler · announcement · arrival · visitor · entrance
Alert about danger
- alertWarning or watchfulness
- signalMessage-conveying cue
- emergencySerious sudden danger
- fire drillEmergency evacuation practice
evacuation · klaxon · siren · notification · caution · hazard · tocsin
familiar
Known from experience
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- recollectionRecalled mental image
- reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
association · recall · remembrance · flashback · nostalgia · cognition · awareness · perception · intuition · resonance
doorbell
Entry alert device
attention · front desk · ding · butler · announcement · arrival · visitor · entrance
warning
Alert about danger
fire drill · evacuation · klaxon · siren · notification · caution · hazard · tocsin
- memoryremember, forget, recall, memorize, recollect
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, break a leg, barking up the wrong tree
- memory phrasesjog your memory, tip of tongue, commit to memory, slipped my mind, vivid memory
- music expressionsmusic to my ears, in tune, out of tune, play it by ear, strike a chord
- learninglearning, learn, classes, instruction, studying
- resonate phrasesresonate, echo, hit home, touch, move