zing

[zing]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR zing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

vitality, animation, or zest.

a quality or characteristic that excites the interest, enthusiasm, etc.: a tourist town with lots of zing.

a sharp singing or whining noise, as of a bullet passing through the air.

verb (used without object)

to move or proceed with a sharp singing or whining noise: The cars zinged down the highway.

to move or proceed with speed or vitality; zip.

verb (used with object)

to cause to move with or as with a sharp, singing or whining noise: The pitcher zinged a slider right over the plate.

Slang. to blame or criticize severely: City Hall always gets zinged when crime increases.

Origin of zing

First recorded in 1910–15; imitative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for zing

vigor, pizzazz, life, gusto, get-up-and-go, zest, zip, verve, energy, pep, drive, vitality, vim, dash, sparkle, punch, brio, go, enthusiasm, spirit

Examples from the Web for zing

Contemporary Examples of zing

So if you are tempted to see the Salinger documentary or read the Salinger book—if you feel that zing—by all means, go ahead.
What We Really Know about J.D. Salinger
Andrew Romano
September 9, 2013
Coffee is a great pick-me-up on to put some zing in those long Monday mornings, can be served with or without milk and/or sugar.
Pippa's SIMPLE Party Tips
Tom Sykes
November 6, 2012
Or maybe, just maybe, he will zing the president on a white-hot issue dominating every waking moment for, um, some voters.
Mitt’s Bizarre Lyme Disease Offensive
Kent Sepkowitz
October 2, 2012
The newly fired host took advantage of a Letterman appearance to zing Current TV while admitting he had used poor judgment.
Keith Olbermann’s Late-Night Offensive in His War Against Current TV
Howard Kurtz
April 4, 2012
And Julianna thanked Les Moonves for keeping dramas on at 10 o'clock, zing Jeff Zucker.
Best of the Golden Globes
Choire Sicha
January 17, 2010

Historical Examples of zing

I saw the small stab of flame, heard the zing of the bullet.
Beyond the Vanishing Point
Raymond King Cummings
"Zing, Jasper," cried Cap'n Jack, when one verse was completed.
The Birthright
Joseph Hocking
Any koot zinger can zing a peautiful zong and kif bleasure, I zubboce!
Trilby
George Du Maurier
It looked as if we were going to win the game, and then zing!
Pitching in a Pinch
Christy Mathewson
Zing, zing, zing—I hate your old heat a-singin' in my ears all the gosh-blamed time!
McClure's Magazine, Vol. 31, No. 1, May 1908
Various

British Dictionary definitions for zing

zing

noun informal

a short high-pitched buzzing sound, as of a bullet or vibrating string

vitality; zest

verb

(intr) to make or move with or as if with a high-pitched buzzing sound

Word Origin for zing

C20: of imitative origin

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

Word Origin and History for zing

1911, "high pitched sound," 1918, of echoic origin. Slang meaning "energy, zest" is attested from 1918.