ding

¹ American  

[ding] / dɪŋ /

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to make a ringing sound.

2. to speak about insistently.

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verb (used without object)

1. to make a ringing sound.

2. to talk insistently.

noun

1. a ringing sound.

ding ² American  

[ding] / dɪŋ /

verb (used with object)

1. to cause surface damage to; dent.

   Flying gravel had dinged the car's fenders.

2. to strike with force; hit.

   The catcher was dinged on the shoulder by a wild throw.

3. to blackball.

   Only one freshman was dinged by the fraternity.

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noun

1. dent; nick.

   The surfboard has a few dings in it from scraping over rocks.

ding ¹ British  

/ dɪŋ /

verb

1. to ring or cause to ring, esp with tedious repetition

2. (tr) another word for din 1

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noun

1. an imitation or representation of the sound of a bell

2. informal a party or social event

ding ² British  

/ dɪŋ /

verb

1. to strike; dash down

2. to surpass

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Etymology

Origin of ding¹

First recorded in 1575–85; see origin at ding-dong

Origin of ding²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb dingen, dengen, dengen “to beat, scourge,” probably from Old English gedingan “to throw oneself with force”; akin to Old English dencgan “to knock, ding,” Old Norse dengja “to beat, hammer”

Explanation

A ding is the sound that a bell makes — a kind of metallic, musical ringing. When you hear the ding of the doorbell, you'll know that the pizza delivery guy is here. Bells, telephones, and doorbells all make a ding, and the word is a verb as well: "I'm going to run when I hear the dinner bell ding — I want to be first in line." Another kind of ding is a small dent or nick in a surface, the kind you might get in your car's bumper during a minor fender bender. Ding falls in the category of imitative words, which sound like their meaning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ding

Make sure you’re making payments on time, too, as late or missed payments can ding your credit score.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Watch him describe a crew shooting down Iranian missiles: “It’s so incredible, these guys, these geniuses. … Ding, ding, ding, ding. Missile launch, then psshm, poom!”

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

This is ostensibly a courtesy to avoid alerting current co-workers that you are job hunting, but it means people you rub the wrong way could ding you years later.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

SRS owned 17.4 million shares and Pentwater, 7.8 million shares, as of March 25, accor ding to the Avis proxy dated April 2.

From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026

From beyond a couple of bookcases—toward the signing line—I heard the ding of a text coming in.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows