Ring a Bell.
English
idiom
To sound familiar without you remembering exactly why.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To sound familiar without you remembering exactly why.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To sound familiar without being clearly remembered.
When something rings a bell, you feel you have heard it before but cannot place where or when.
It's a useful way to answer honestly instead of guessing or pretending you know.
"On the Tip of Your Tongue"
—
You almost remember the exact word
"Slip Someone's Mind"
—
You knew it and have now forgotten
"Ring a Bell"
—
Sounds familiar, but you can't place it
Does the vendor Cartwright & Sons ring a bell to you?
It rings a bell, but I'd check with finance before we contact them.
I think we met a guy called Tomas at the beach house.
That rings a bell. Wasn't he the one who brought the guitar?
The café on Fern Street used to be a bookshop, apparently.
That rings a bell, actually. My mother used to buy maps there.
