decibel

IPA/ˈdesɪbel/
KK[dˈɛsəbˌɛl]IPA/ˈdesɪbel/

decibel — noun

  • decibelsingular
  • decibelsplural

1. a standard unit that shows how loud or quiet a sound is; the higher the number,

1.名詞B2
釋義

a standard unit that shows how loud or quiet a sound is; the higher the number, the louder the sound

例句

Yael measured the noise in the library at about 40 decibels.

A normal conversation between two people is usually around 60 decibels.

collocation: around + number + decibels

文法句型

number + decibel(s)

decibel + noun (modifier — e.g. decibel level, decibel reading)

用法筆記

Commonly used with a number: 'a 90‑decibel alarm' (hyphenated before a noun) or 'the alarm is 90 decibels loud.' The decibel scale is logarithmic, so a 10‑decibel increase corresponds to roughly twice the perceived loudness.

常見錯誤

❌The music has high decibels so it sounds high-pitched.
✅The music has a high frequency (measured in hertz); decibels measure how loud the sound is, not how high or low.
💡Decibels indicate loudness, not pitch.
❌Turn the volume up by two decibels to make it twice as loud.
✅An increase of about 10 decibels makes a sound seem roughly twice as loud.
💡The decibel scale is logarithmic, not linear.