decibel

[ des-uh-bel, -buhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Physics.

a unit used to express the intensity of a sound wave, equal to 20 times the common logarithm of the ratio of the pressure produced by the sound wave to a reference pressure, usually 0.0002 microbar.
a unit of power ratio, the number of units being equal to a constant times the logarithm to the base 10 of the intensities of two sources.
a unit used to compare two voltages or currents, equal to 20 times the common logarithm of the ratio of the voltages or currents measured across equal resistances. : dB, db

decibel

/ ˈ��ɛ��ɪˌ��ɛ�� /

noun

a unit for comparing two currents, voltages, or power levels, equal to one tenth of a bel
a similar unit for measuring the intensity of a sound. It is equal to ten times the logarithm to the base ten of the ratio of the intensity of the sound to be measured to the intensity of some reference sound, usually the lowest audible note of the same frequency

decibel

A unit used to measure the power of a signal, such as an electrical signal or sound, relative to some reference level. An increase of ten decibels in the power of a signal is equivalent to increasing its power by a factor of ten. As a measure of sound intensity, a zero-decibel reference is stipulated to be the lowest level audible to the human ear; the speaking voice of most people ranges from 45 to 75 decibels.

decibel

A unit of measurement of the volume of sounds.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of decibel¹

First recorded in 1925–30; deci- + bel ¹

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The contrasting approaches of the final pairing - McIlroy blocking out the noise, DeChambeau feeding off the rising decibels - added an intriguing layer.

From

While McIlroy has spent this week blocking out "the noise", DeChambeau has been feeding off the rising decibels echoing through the Georgia Pines at Augusta National.

From

Researchers say that the sound of a solid pickleball hit can be 25 decibels louder than the loudest tennis racket strike.

From

Daffodils wilted, dragons drooped and decibels dropped to the quiet hubbub of a cricket crowd.

From

My sound meter says the noise from the distant traffic is just over 60 decibels here.

From

decibar decidable

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