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:
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
Lu - the 64-year-old president of the American Changle Association, a Chinese community group - argued he was simply trying to help people renew driver's licenses and facilitate social activities like mahjong and ping pong.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
How refreshing to know that when someone needs a break, I can say, “Let’s circle back,” and eventually he’ll ping me on Teams to ask, “Can I put this back on your radar?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
The familiar ping of steel against steel soon echoed back to the silent house.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
This is the kind of charge that pings around the internet but usually goes nowhere.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
In the future, they could pay to be the apps that Siri pings to complete tasks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 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
Beyond cellphone pings placing Rinderknecht in the general area where the fire began, Haney and his experts argue that authorities have few specifics from the terabytes of evidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
My phone pings as I get in the back of the car.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
FBI agent Andrew Kerstetter also presented evidence that Walters’ cellphone had pinged off a U.S.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
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
He was abroad in March this year when his phone pinged to say he no longer had access to the Kia Connect app.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Kristi Buckley was at work when a security camera aimed out her living room window pinged her phone: The neighbor’s house is on fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Already, small moths decorated the screen; they pinged deferentially against the windows and fell away.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Executives are urging their staff to send messages in public Slack channels, rather than privately pinging colleagues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Similarly, he said, where a stolen device is pinging its location at an address, an officer will be required to knock on the door.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
My phone is pinging near constantly with alerts from Signal groups that exist to defend and support our community.
From Slate ● Jan. 25, 2026
My phone started pinging with two-factor authentication notifications.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025
In the lobby you try to walk casually, as if your scalp isn’t pinging with dizziness and fear.
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
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.
