dinged; dinging; dings
: to dwell on with tiresome repetition
keeps dinging it into him that the less he smokes the better—
Samuel Butler †1902
Samuel Butler †1902
: an instance of minor surface damage (such as a dent)
dinged; dinging; dings
1
informal
a
: to strike or knock against
got dinged on the elbow
b
: to cause minor surface damage to
ding a car door
c
: to do harm to
… has struggled of late to win customers back after reports of a norovirus outbreak … circulated in July, once again dinging the chain's reputation.—Sarah Whitten
Sarah WhittenIf they don't hit the mark, their review, pay, and chances at promotion get dinged.—Nanette Byrnes et al.
Nanette Byrnes et al.
d
: to cause a usually minor injury to
On Jan. 20, Joel Embiid dinged his knee in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The ever-cautious Sixers held the big man out of the next two games with what was described as a "left knee contusion."
2
informal
: to penalize or criticize
Joseph's time hasn't been without some controversy, including recently when the state dinged the district for starting the year with several administrators not holding Tennessee teaching and administrative licenses.—Jason Gonzales
Jason GonzalesHistorical accounts dinged the Cadburys for not doing enough to help with cocoa worker conditions and slavery in Africa.—Michael S. Rosenwald
Michael S. RosenwaldExamples of ding in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Losing Ben Powers dings Sean Payton’s new ground-and-pound mojo, but probably only a little.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 covers the screen to ward off scratches and dings, while the frame is made from Samsung's Armor Aluminum (the same material as the Galaxy S25).
—PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ding
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Verb
Online shopping dings the profitability of retail locations.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Losing Ben Powers dings Sean Payton’s new ground-and-pound mojo, but probably only a little.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
There are dings from streetcars on Canal Street, chimes from slot machines at Caesars New Orleans Hotel & Casino, and celebratory symphonies from innumerable trumpets on countless stages and streetcorners.
—Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 covers the screen to ward off scratches and dings, while the frame is made from Samsung's Armor Aluminum (the same material as the Galaxy S25).
—PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ding
Cite this Entry
“Ding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ding. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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