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

On the walls, a few pots hang from a copper rod, a dinner bell waits to be jingled, and an ancient clock keeps time. — Elazar Sontag, Washington Post, 2 July 2026

The Household Cavalry, on dark horses and with brightly shining breastplates, trotted past, jingling like a cutlery drawer. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026

Noun

World Cup games also play a specific jingle for the team that scores, giving them a moment to party after a goals. — Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026

The artists will be fine, but the guys who do commercial music, film music, advertising music, jingles, and everything, they will be replaced. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 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