bling
Americannoun
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expensive and flashy jewelry, clothing, or other possessions.
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the flaunting of such possessions or the flashy lifestyle associated with it.
adjective
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of bling
1995-2000; perhaps imitative of the imaginary sound that light makes when reflecting off a diamond
Explanation
Bling is a slang term for fancy, expensive jewelry and accessories. You might aim to impress on the first day of school by wearing a lot of bling. There's an implication in the very term bling that not only do you have flashy chains and watches, but you want to show them off. The word itself comes from the idea that light glinting off gold or diamonds would make a bling-like sound if you could hear it. Both bling and bling-bling are US rap slang which gained mainstream popularity around the mid-1990s.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The BBC wrote to Darren Cunningham and the man it is calling Mr Bling about Jane's allegations, but they did not respond.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026
The "Bling Bling" era of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar has gone, to be replaced by Ousmane Dembele finally fulfilling his potential and recent signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia adding a new dimension.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2025
Lynn Ban, a celebrity jewellery designer from Singapore who starred in the Netflix reality show Bling Empire, has died a month after undergoing brain surgery following a ski accident.
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2025
The story was a media sensation that played out on the reality show “Pretty Wild” and it even inspired Sofia Coppola’s riveting 2013 film “The Bling Ring.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2023
"Bling him to my loom," he said and he led the way.
From The Bradys' Chinese Clew The Secrect Dens of Pell Street by Doughty, Francis Worcester
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
