ping

American  

[ping] / pɪŋ /

verb (used without object)

1. to produce a sharp sound like that of a bullet striking a sheet of metal.

---

verb (used with object)

1. Computers. to send an echo-request packet to (an IP address) and use the echo reply to determine whether another computer on the network is operational and the speed at which the data is being transferred.

2. to make contact with (someone) by sending a brief electronic message, as a text message.

   The design team should ping marketing to set up a meeting next week.

   Ping me when you arrive, and I’ll meet you at the door.

noun

1. a pinging sound.

2. an infrasonic or ultrasonic sound wave created by sonar in echolocation.

3. an acoustic signal transmitted to indicate a location.

   Rescue crews were able to follow the ping and locate the flight recorder.

4. Computers. an echo-request and echo-reply protocol that tests a connection online or in a network by sending a packet to a host IP address and measuring the round-trip speed of data transfer.

5. one of the possible sounds made by an electronic or mobile device to signal the receipt of data, as a phone or text message.

ping British  

/ pɪŋ /

noun

1. a short high-pitched resonant sound, as of a bullet striking metal or a sonar echo

2. computing a system for testing whether internet systems are responding and how long in milliseconds it takes them to respond

---

verb

1. (intr) to make such a noise

2. (tr) computing to send a test message to (a computer or server) in order to check whether it is responding or how long it takes it to respond

Other Word Forms

• pinging adjective

Etymology

Origin of ping

First recorded in 1850–55; imitative

Example Sentences

Canadian women's skip Rachel Holman was pinged for a double-touch, as was Team GB's Bobby Lammie - both incidents not deliberate and the case of a lingering figure falling on to the granite.

From BBC

Not yogurt eaten in a fugue state between Slack pings.

From Salon

Canadian women's skip Rachel Holman was pinged for a double touch.

From BBC

The last email occurs in August 2017 with Tisch pinging Epstein to tell him that he and a friend just had lunch and “were talking very fondly about you.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Deep within the warship, behind a locked door in a windowless control room called the Combat Information Center, seasoned sub-hunters listen for sonar pings flagging an undersea target.

From The Wall Street Journal