ping
Americanverb (used without object)
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pings,
present (3rd person singular)
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pinged,
past participle, past
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pinging
present participle
verb (used with object)
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pings,
present (3rd person singular)
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pinged,
past participle, past
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pinging
present participle
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Computers. to send an echo-request packet to (an IP address) and use the echo reply to determine whether another computer on the network is operational and the speed at which the data is being transferred.
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to make contact with (someone) by sending a brief electronic message, as a text message.
The design team should ping marketing to set up a meeting next week.
Ping me when you arrive, and I’ll meet you at the door.
noun
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pings
plural
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a pinging sound.
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an infrasonic or ultrasonic sound wave created by sonar in echolocation.
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an acoustic signal transmitted to indicate a location.
Rescue crews were able to follow the ping and locate the flight recorder.
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Computers. an echo-request and echo-reply protocol that tests a connection online or in a network by sending a packet to a host IP address and measuring the round-trip speed of data transfer.
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one of the possible sounds made by an electronic or mobile device to signal the receipt of data, as a phone or text message.
noun
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a short high-pitched resonant sound, as of a bullet striking metal or a sonar echo
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computing a system for testing whether internet systems are responding and how long in milliseconds it takes them to respond
verb
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(intr) to make such a noise
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(tr) computing to send a test message to (a computer or server) in order to check whether it is responding or how long it takes it to respond
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pingsimple
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pingssimple
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have pingedperfect
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has pingedperfect
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am pingingprogressive
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are pingingprogressive
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is pingingprogressive
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have been pingingperfect progressive
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has been pingingperfect progressive
Past
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pingedsimple
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had pingedperfect
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was pingingprogressive
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were pingingprogressive
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had been pingingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ping
First recorded in 1850–55; imitative
Explanation
A ping is a sharp, high-pitched, somewhat musical sound. Quickly tapping a spoon against a crystal glass makes a ping. If you ping someone, you contact them via computer or phone, which might ping when the message comes through. The word ping is onomatopoeic, or imitative — in other words, it sounds just like its meaning. Things that might ping include your electronic alarm clock, some video games, a stone against your car's windshield, and the timer on your microwave. In the 1800s, a ping was primarily the sound a bullet made as it hit something — today it's just as likely to mean "a message sent from one computer to another."
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.
See Examples For:
But within just a few months, I’d reverted to my old habits—immediately glancing at and engaging with every ping and alert, and reflexively picking up my phone to scroll through my rotation of go-to websites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
It was a rare, unexplained, glitch in a system that blares out warnings of incoming attacks multiple times a day through loudspeaker announcements on the street and metro, and the collective ping of phone notifications.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Not long after the game ended, he heard the ping of a text message.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
In Australia, Surfshark’s ping times ranged from 229 to 281 ms, while NordVPN’s latency was slightly lower, averaging 210 to 260 ms.
From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2026
There was a ping before every frame, which was enough to make you wish we had never gone into space at all.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
His phone app pings; he puts on his protective mask and heads out wearily to fight crime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
This is the kind of charge that pings around the internet but usually goes nowhere.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
The ball pings from Brunson to Landry Shamet to Mikal Bridges to OG Anunoby and back to Bridges again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
The soundtrack is a series of bleeps and pings as fresh data is fed to dozens of men in T-shirts and hoodies hunched over joysticks and keyboards.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
After I hung up with Robin, I ran downstairs to tell Dad what I’d learned about the tags and the pings.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
I’ve worked for many, and I know the distinct frustration of being pinged with, “Just checking in!” less than an hour after being asked how something is “coming along.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Undeterred, Bordeaux quickly seized control, and while a Cameron Woki try was ruled out for a hand in touch, Lucu struck for the Top 14 side after Robbie Henshaw was pinged for offside.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
Phones pinged with constant texts from friends and relatives watching the news around the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2026
We pinged our readers for the terms that really annoy them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
This might have all pinged loudly on Rowan and Citra’s radar, had the High Blade not immediately announced that the next order of business was the apprentices.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
The penalty count against the visitors ramped up, with referee James Doleman pinging England nine times after the interval.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
But sometimes, he says, it's nice to have a digital detox without his phone pinging.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
Cellphone pinging: Investigators, particularly those with FBI technical units, will use geo-fencing to scour the cell towers around Guthrie’s home for cellphone users.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
The last email occurs in August 2017 with Tisch pinging Epstein to tell him that he and a friend just had lunch and “were talking very fondly about you.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
“He’s scared,” Kuda said, pinging another pebble at the kennel.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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.
