dinge

[ dinj ]

/ dɪndʒ /

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noun

the condition of being dingy.

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

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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