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  • ping-pong
    ping-pong
    verb (used with object)
    to move back and forth or transfer rapidly from one locale, job, etc., to another; switch.
  • Ping-Pong
    Ping-Pong

ping-pong

1 American  
[ping-pong, -pawng] / ˈpɪŋˌpɒŋ, -ˌpɔŋ /

verb (used with object)

  1. to move back and forth or transfer rapidly from one locale, job, etc., to another; switch.

    The patient was ping-ponged from one medical specialist to another.


verb (used without object)

  1. to go back and forth; change rapidly or regularly; shift; bounce.

    For ten years the foreign correspondent ping-ponged between London and Paris.

Ping-Pong 2 American  
[ping-pong, -pawng] / ˈpɪŋˌpɒŋ, -ˌpɔŋ /
Trademark.
  1. table tennis.


Ping-Pong British  
/ ˈpɪŋˌpɒŋ /

noun

  1. Also called: ping pong.  another name for table tennis

"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

Etymology

Origin of ping-pong

First recorded in 1900–05

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:

Even that “Shark Tank” guy from the ping-pong movie who got $15 million from Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX is building data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal May 31, 2026

A secret visit by national security adviser Henry Kissinger the year before laid the groundwork for the presidential trip, alongside reciprocal visits of table tennis teams termed "ping-pong diplomacy".

From Barron's May 15, 2026

Ace integrates nine synchronized cameras and three vision systems to track the spinning plastic ping-pong ball.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 23, 2026

“Most engineers want to do the 1:00 to 3:45 with a ping-pong break and an hour lunch. That’s the way the Valley worked,” McCardel said.

From MarketWatch Apr. 4, 2026

He gave orders that a damask table-cloth should be draped over the ping-pong table, and in the end it looked really quite elegant after all.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

He purchased a Ping-Pong table as his first piece of furniture.

From Los Angeles Times May 12, 2024

The sea of Ping-Pong balls across the floor testifies to their many failed attempts.

From New York Times Feb. 24, 2024

The night before he had hosted friends for a Ping-Pong tournament in the basement of his north Tacoma home.

From Seattle Times Oct. 6, 2023

The favorite spot among players at the Ryder Cup is their team room, with its food and drinks, plenty of laughter, motivational moments and for the Americans, epic tales of Ping-Pong.

From Washington Times Sep. 27, 2023

She led the way by the Ping-Pong table and looked over her shoulder at Anthony.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English

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