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• dong
  dong

  noun

  a deep sound like that of a large bell.
• dông
  dông

  noun

  the standard monetary unit of Vietnam, divided into 10 hào or 100 xu

dong

¹ American  

[dawng, dong] / dɔŋ, dɒŋ /

noun

1. a deep sound like that of a large bell.

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dong ² American  

[dawng, dong] / dɔŋ, dɒŋ /

noun

• dong
  plural

1. the basic monetary unit of Vietnam: replaced the southern piaster and the northern dong in 1978.

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dong ³ American  

[dawng, dong] / dɔŋ, dɒŋ /

noun

Slang: Vulgar.

1. penis.

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dong ¹ British  

/ dɒŋ /

noun

1. the deep reverberating sound of a large bell

2. informal a heavy blow

3. a slang word for penis

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verb

1. (intr) (of a bell) to make a deep reverberating sound

2. informal (tr) to strike or punch

dông ² British  

/ dɒŋ /

noun

1. the standard monetary unit of Vietnam, divided into 10 hào or 100 xu

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dong
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dong¹

First recorded in 1880–90; imitative; see ding-dong

Origin of dong²

First recorded in 1820–25; from Vietnamese đồng “copper”

Origin of dong³

First recorded in 1890–95; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dong

"I have suddenly become very rich. I am a billionaire now," said the retired shop owner, counting in Vietnamese dong.

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

"So we certainly saw more coordination in the activity last night than we had seen in previous days, as to who was dong that coordinating I'm not in a position to say yet."

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2025

The first thing you notice walking up to a dai pai dong, one of Hong Kong's signature open-air street food stalls, is the smoke.

From Salon ● May 15, 2024

“I’ve always had fun dong this. I can’t believe I get to do music as a career. That’s crazy,” Swift told her audience on Monday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

Today is Sunday and throughout the valley the church bells are pealing dong dong la-dong, that most warming of sounds ringing in the air, dong dong la- dong.

From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech