pong

American  

[pong, pawng] / pɒŋ, pɔŋ /

noun

1. an unpleasant smell; stink.

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verb (used without object)

1. to have a disagreeable smell; stink.

pong British  

/ pɒŋ /

noun

1. a disagreeable or offensive smell; stink

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verb

1. (intr) to give off an unpleasant smell; stink

Other Word Forms

• pongy adjective

Etymology

Origin of pong

First recorded in 1915–20; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

One thing to know: Timothée Chalamet stars as ping pong hustler Marty Mauser in this 1950s period piece from director Josh Safdie.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

The canteen, where staff were playing ping pong and pool just 24 hours earlier, was transformed into a nightclub with more than 400 guests.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Chalamet’s marketing deck is full of outrageous, sky-high ideas, like an orange blimp that drops ping pong balls as it sails over Los Angeles.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

Here, Chalamet again fuses his personal drive into his performance, claiming that he spent seven years training to play ping pong like Reisman and unlike Tom Hanks in “Gump,” he’s doing his own stunts.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

I’ll hear the pong of tennis balls, the bark of goldens, the echo of my breath in a snorkel.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart