jingle

1 of 2

verb

jin·​gle ˈjiŋ-gəl 

jingled; jingling ˈjiŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to make a light clinking or tinkling sound

2

: to rhyme or sound in a catchy repetitious manner

transitive verb

: to cause to jingle

jingler

ˈjiŋ-g(ə-)lər 

noun

jingle

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a light clinking or tinkling sound

b

: a catchy repetition of sounds in a poem

2

a

: something that jingles

b

: a short verse or song marked by catchy repetition

jingly

ˈjiŋ-g(ə-)lē 

adjective

Synonyms of jingle

Verb

• clink
• tinkle
• ring
• tingle
• rattle
• chime
• chink

Noun

• rattle
• clatter
• tinkle

Examples of jingle in a Sentence

Verb

Bells jingled in the distance.

She jingled the coins in her pocket.

Noun

I heard the jingle of bells.

the jingle of change in my pocket

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Netflix and Amazon jingled all the way to some big audiences on Christmas Day, thanks to the NFL. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025

The next signs of the nation’s political divide might be jingling in your pocket next year. —Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025

Noun

Besides the trademark ATMs, the company’s vending machines found at many airports made loud, attention-drawing jingles, drawing dramatic complaints and jokes from TikTok travelers. —Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026

Today's kids can't even sing the jingles. —Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English ginglen, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for jingle

• commingle
• dingle
• ingle
• lingle
• mingle
• pringle
• shingle
• single
• swingle
• tingle
• intermingle

Video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

Kids Definition

jingle

1 of 2 verb

jin·​gle ˈjiŋ-gəl 

jingled; jingling -g(ə-)liŋ 

: to make or cause to make a light clinking sound

coins jingled in their pockets

jingler

-g(ə-)lər 

noun

jingle

2 of 2 noun

1

: a light clinking sound

2

: a catchy repetition of sounds in a poem

3

: a verse or song marked by catchy repetition

jingly

-g(ə-)lē 

adjective