humdinger

noun

hum·​ding·​er ˈhəm-ˈdiŋ-ər How to pronounce humdinger (audio)
: a striking or extraordinary person or thing
That was one humdinger of a storm.

Examples of humdinger in a Sentence

The last storm was a real humdinger! I hear we're in for another humdinger of a storm!
Recent Examples on the Web There were other horological humdingers on display this week, too. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 2 Mar. 2024 He’s got a mullet, too — a real humdinger, with stringy long strands in the back that don’t connect in any way with the short mop on top. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Jan. 2024 The material was mostly wooden, with a lot of knee slappers and humdingers. Simon Shuster, TIME, 4 Jan. 2024 Kari Voutilainen’s wristwatches are among the hardest to come by, and yet Phillips has just put one of his horological humdingers up for sale via its London boutique. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 28 June 2023 Segel dropped trou on the big screen 15 years ago in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and his humdinger has made the news several times since. Andy Crump, Men's Health, 21 Apr. 2023 Even so, this one is a humdinger. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2014 Helles Real had a humdinger of a road to the title, plowing through some tough competition. Rasputin Todd, The Enquirer, 2 Apr. 2023 That El Niño was a humdinger. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2015

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'humdinger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably alteration of hummer

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of humdinger was in 1896

Dictionary Entries Near humdinger

Cite this Entry

“Humdinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humdinger. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!