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ding-dong

[ding-dawng, -dong]
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noun
  1. the sound of a bell.
  2. any similar sound of repeated strokes.
  3. Slang. ding-a-ling.
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adjective
  1. characterized by or resembling the sound of a bell.
  2. marked by rapid alternation of retaliatory action: a ding-dong struggle.
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Origin of ding-dong

1550–60; gradational compound based on ding, apparently blend of din1 and ring2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for ding dong

ding-dong

noun
  1. the sound of a bell or bells, esp two bells tuned a fourth or fifth apart
  2. an imitation or representation of the sound of a bell
    1. a violent exchange of blows or words
    2. (as modifier)a ding-dong battle in the board room
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adjective
  1. sounding or ringing repeatedly
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Word Origin

C16: of imitative origin; see ding 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ding dong

imitative of the sound of a bell, c.1560.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper