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

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

A research team led by Professor Yulong Ding from the University of Birmingham's School of Chemical Engineering has shown that these temperatures can be significantly reduced by using a perovskite catalyst.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

Prior to the start of the tournament last year, only four - Ding Junhui, Zhang Anda, Xiao and Si Jiahui - sat inside the top 16.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

Jamie Ding lost on the quiz show Monday, ending a 31-game streak that made him No. 5 in the show’s all-time consecutive-win rankings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

For once, my sisters and I got excused from spending the whole livelong morning playing Ding Dong Schoolhouse with Mother.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver