pong

American  

[pong, pawng] / pɒŋ, pɔŋ /

noun

1. an unpleasant smell; stink.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to have a disagreeable smell; stink.

pong British  

/ pɒŋ /

noun

1. a disagreeable or offensive smell; stink

---

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

“Then you’d react to that and then you have the ping pong back and forth. It made it very vibrant and fun.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Play long enough, and the speed of the ping pong light ball increases, racing across the expanse until a player can’t keep up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 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

Rachel’s egg becomes the moon; the moon becomes a ping pong ball.

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