noun

ding

dihng

noun

A small dent, chip, or bit of minor damage.

"There's a tiny ding on the car door from the shopping cart."

A short, high-pitched ringing sound, like a bell.

"The elevator gave a ding as it reached the lobby."

verb

To damage something slightly, usually by knocking or striking it.

"I dinged the fender backing out of the driveway."

Informal: to penalize, reject, or criticize someone or something.

"The reviewer dinged the film for its slow pacing."

"He got dinged ten points for turning the assignment in late."

How to Use Ding

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA small mark of damage, a bell-like sound, or — informally — to knock points off or reject something.

Common pairings

ding the car get dinged ding sound

Word Forms

dinged past tense, dang past tense, dung past tense, dinged past tense, dings plural, dings plural, dings plural, ding plural, dings plural, dings plural, dings singular, dings singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

There's a tiny _____ on the car door from the shopping cart.

Etymology

From Old English "*dingan", "to strike or beat", related to Old Norse "dengja", "to hammer".

Rhymes for ding

ing king wing sing ring ping bing ming zing Jing ting hing

See all rhymes for ding →