zing

[ zing ]

/ zɪŋ /

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See synonyms for: zing / zinged / zinging 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.

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Origin of zing

First recorded in 1910–15; imitative

Words nearby zing

zindabad, Zinder, 'zine, zineb, zinfandel, zing, zingara, zingaro, zinger, zingiberaceous, zingy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for zing

The cartoons zing, whirr, and reverberate harmonically, making each entry a sort of duet.
Well, La Ti Da: Stephin Merritt’s Winning Little Words of Scrabble|David Bukszpan|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
This startling announcement was immediately followed by a chorus of male voices singing with hearty gusto, Zing-a-Zing!
Blue Robin, the Girl Pioneer|Rena I. Halsey
Quiz′ziness, oddness; Quiz′zing, raillery; Quiz′zing-glass, a single eye-glass.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
One minute she was jumpin' along amongst them gravestones like a hoptoad with wings, and then—Zing!
Galusha the Magnificent|Joseph C. Lincoln
She thought of how, at eleven o'clock the night before, her telephone had rung with the sharp zing!
Cheerful--By Request|Edna Ferber
The Scaritt's window-shades always rolled; their doorbell always rang with a satisfactory zing; their suction-pump never stuck.
Half Portions|Edna Ferber

British Dictionary definitions for zing

zing

/ (zɪŋ) /

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

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