dinge

[ dinj ]

/ dɪndʒ /

Save This Word!

noun

the condition of being dingy.

Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of dinge

First recorded in 1840–50; back formation from dingy

Words nearby dinge

ding-a-ling, ding an sich, dingbat, dingbats, ding-dong, dinge, dinger, dinges, dinghy, dingle, dingleberry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dinge in a sentence

John Henry Menton took off his hat, bulged out the dinge and smoothed the nap with care on his coatsleeve.
Ulysses|James Joyce
Bisher hat man solche Dinge nicht mit rechter Peen gestraft, sondern wissiglich geduldet.
German Society at the Close of the Middle Ages|Ernest Belfort Bax
Doch es freut mich, Dinge poetisch durchzusetzen, an deren poetischer Darstellbarkeit wohl die meisten Menschen verzweifeln.
Types of Weltschmerz in German Poetry|Wilhelm Alfred Braun
Die Geschichtswissenschaft als solche kennt nur ein zeitliches und mithin auch nur ein relatives Maass der Dinge.
A Lecture on the Study of History|Lord Acton

Denn sind Erscheinungen Dinge an sich selbst, so ist Freiheit nicht zu retten.
History of Civilization in England, Vol. 1 of 3|Henry Thomas Buckle

British Dictionary definitions for dinge (1 of 3)

dinge¹

/ (dɪndʒ) /

noun

dinginess

Word Origin for dinge

C19: back formation from dingy

British Dictionary definitions for dinge (2 of 3)

dinge²

/ (dɪndʒ) US derogatory, slang /

noun

a Black person

adjective

of or relating to Black people

British Dictionary definitions for dinge (3 of 3)

dinge³

/ (dɪndʒ) dialect /

verb (tr)

to make a dent in (something)

noun

a dent

Word Origin for dinge

of unknown origin

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