From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdecibeldec‧i‧bel /ˈdesəbel, -bəl/ noun [countable] (written abbreviation dB) TMa unit for measuring the loudness of sound noise levels exceeding 85 decibels
Examples from the Corpus
decibel• About 15 percent were listening at levels of 110-115 decibels.• NoiseBuster reduces up to 15 decibels in that frequency bandwidth.• To give you an idea what that means, 80 decibels is generated by a typical alarm clock.• Noise levels in factories must not exceed 85 decibels.• At 95 decibels, about the sound level of a lawn mower, workers are allowed four hours' exposure.• Any bar or disco which exceeds its permitted decibel limit can be shut down on the spot for the night by police.• Twenty-five dollars was considerably more than he expected, they must have been charging by the decibel.• Tonight's contribution is awesome in the decibels of that noise.• The acoustics of an empty garage or any interior location intensifies the decibels to an unbearable level.Origin decibel (1900-2000) deci- + bel unit of sound power ((20-21 centuries)), from Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), US inventor 