ping-pong

1 of 3

verb

ˈpiŋ-ˌpäŋ How to pronounce ping-pong (audio)
-ˌpȯŋ
ping-ponged; ping-ponging; ping-pongs

ping-pong

2 of 3

noun

: something resembling a game of table tennis
especially : a series of usually verbal exchanges between two parties
… a ping-pong of absurdist dialogue … Lawrence O'Toole

Ping-Pong

3 of 3

trademark

ˈpiŋ-ˌpäŋ How to pronounce Ping-Pong (audio)
-ˌpȯŋ
used for table tennis

Examples of ping-pong in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
How the lottery works The NBA draft lottery determines the top four picks for non-playoff teams using a weight ping-pong ball system. Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026 Kagan and his colleagues showed that within minutes, neurons on microchips could learn to play Pong, the classic video game in which a player repeatedly intercepts a ball—think two-dimensional ping-pong. Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2026 Spalding brought his grandfather’s ping-pong table to the volleyball room at school for more fun. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026 There’s a tremendous sweetness to the film and its central relationships, but the banter ping-pongs swiftly between the intimate and the darkly absurd. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026 That lightning in a bottle disguised in the form of ping-pong balls led to the selection of Cooper Flagg, who has exceeded expectations as one of the NBA’s best rookies in the last two decades. Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 17 Mar. 2026 The Timothée Chalamet ping-pong butt gag was juvenile. Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026 Timothée Chalamet secured his second Best Actor nod in a row for his performance in Safdie’s edge-of-your-seat ping-pong flick, with the star competing against Jordan, DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent. Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026 What began as niche lifestyle content has since spilled into celebrity PR stunts by the likes of Timothée Chalamet playing ping-pong in Chengdu, and mainstream cultural debates. Ashish Valentine, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1902, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ping-pong was in 1902

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Cite this Entry

“Ping-pong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ping-pong. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

Ping-Pong

trademark
ˈpiŋ-ˌpäŋ
-ˌpȯŋ
used for table tennis

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