ringer

¹ American  

[ring-er] / ˈrɪŋ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that encircles, rings, etc.

2. a quoit or horseshoe so thrown as to encircle the peg.

3. the throw itself.

4. Also called ring taw.  Marbles.  Also ringers a game in which players place marbles in a cross marked in the center of a circle, the object being to knock as many marbles as possible outside the circle by using another marble shooter.

5. Australian.  a highly skilled sheep shearer.

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ringer ² American  

[ring-er] / ˈrɪŋ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that rings or makes a ringing noise.

   a ringer of bells;

   a bell that is a loud ringer.

2. dead ringer.

   Synonyms:

   spitting image , look-alike , duplicate , double , doppelgänger

3. Slang.

   1. a racehorse, athlete, or the like entered in a competition under false representation as to identity or ability.

   2. a student paid by another to take an exam.

   3. any person or thing that is fraudulent; fake or impostor.

   4. a substitute or addition, as a professional musician hired to strengthen a school orchestra.

      We hired three ringers for the commencement concert.

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ringer British  

/ ˈrɪŋə /

noun

1. a person or thing that rings a bell

2. Also called: dead ringer.  slang  a person or thing that is almost identical to another

3. slang  a stolen vehicle the identity of which has been changed by the use of the licence plate, serial number, etc, of another, usually disused, vehicle

4. a contestant, esp a horse, entered in a competition under false representations of identity, record, or ability

5. the fastest shearer in a shed

6. informal  the fastest or best at anything

7. a quoit thrown so as to encircle a peg

8. such a throw

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Etymology

Origin of ringer¹

First recorded in 1815–25; ring ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of ringer¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; ring ² + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

A weirdo dog lets you “show your individuality,” said Terence Nelson, 38, an influencer marketing strategist in New York whose fuzzy Brussels griffon, Sue, is a dead ringer for an Ewok.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It was really fun for us to put them through the ringer and to basically have them look at each other and say: 'Are these differences too much for our partnership to succeed?'"

From Barron's

For its Southern Section Division 3 football playoff opener on Friday night against Laguna Beach, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame brought in a “ringer” assistant coach this week to get its running backs a little tougher.

From Los Angeles Times

They wanted ringers who would advance their right-wing agenda.

From Salon

"I don't think Usman will have a choice. I think Khabib will have taken him back to the mountains in Dagestan after that first fight and absolutely put him through the ringer," he said.

From BBC