: one that encircles or puts a ring around (such as a quoit or horseshoe that lodges so as to surround the peg)
Synonyms
Examples of ringer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2023
Twenty minutes after my aunt would phone in our order, the apartment ringer would buzz ‘Fur Elise’ in MIDI, and up would come a helmeted man, fresh off his motorcycle, with a giant steel box.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
Fiddler Vassar Clements was a ringer in the newgrass scene and played with Garcia in Old & in the Way, one of many side projects.
—Erin Osmon, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
The Action Button is about the same size as the existing button, and users still hold it down to switch between muting and turning on the ringer.
—Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 19 Sep. 2023
The iPhone 15 Pro also comes with a new action button, replacing the ringer toggle on the side of iPhones with a button that can perform a range of customizable actions.
—Sara Ruberg, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2023
Starting pitcher Bobby Miller was put through the ringer first.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2023
The national police had a track and field club, and Ser-Od was a bit of a ringer.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023
About all the ways this show has been put through the ringer.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Aug. 2023
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Noun
This will mute or unmute your phone’s ringer and alert tones.
—Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2023
Twenty minutes after my aunt would phone in our order, the apartment ringer would buzz ‘Fur Elise’ in MIDI, and up would come a helmeted man, fresh off his motorcycle, with a giant steel box.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
Fiddler Vassar Clements was a ringer in the newgrass scene and played with Garcia in Old & in the Way, one of many side projects.
—Erin Osmon, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
The Action Button is about the same size as the existing button, and users still hold it down to switch between muting and turning on the ringer.
—Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 19 Sep. 2023
The iPhone 15 Pro also comes with a new action button, replacing the ringer toggle on the side of iPhones with a button that can perform a range of customizable actions.
—Sara Ruberg, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2023
Starting pitcher Bobby Miller was put through the ringer first.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2023
The national police had a track and field club, and Ser-Od was a bit of a ringer.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023
About all the ways this show has been put through the ringer.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ringer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing ringer
Dictionary Entries Near ringer
Cite this Entry
“Ringer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ringer. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
ringer
1 of 2 noun
ring·er
ˈriŋ-ər 
1
: one that sounds especially by ringing
2
a
: one that enters a competition with a false identity
b
: one that strongly resembles another
—often used with dead
a dead ringer for the senator
ringer
2 of 2 noun
: a quoit or horseshoe that falls right over a peg
More from Merriam-Webster on ringer
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ringer
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