ringer

1 of 2

noun (1)

ring·​er ˈriŋ-ər 

1

: one that sounds especially by ringing

2

a(1)

: one that enters a competition under false representations

(2)

: imposter, fake

b

: one that strongly resembles another

—often used with dead

He's a dead ringer for his father.

ringer

2 of 2

noun (2)

: one that encircles or puts a ring around (such as a quoit or horseshoe that lodges so as to surround the peg)

Synonyms of ringer

Noun (1)

• sham
• fake
• fraud
• pretender
• impostor
• actor
• deceiver
• quack

Examples of ringer in a Sentence

Noun (1)

no one was more surprised than the defendant when his lawyer turned out to be a ringer

he's a dead ringer for his grandfather

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Sumrall certainly made a splash, but when a reporter's cell phone ringer went off during his time at the podium, the 44-year-old let everyone in the room know his stance on the matter. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026

The collection also offers a ringer tee, pocket tee and garden tote with an all-over Levi’s x Sky High Farm Goods print. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 21 July 2026

The Vampire Lestat showrunner Rolin Jones put the 265-year-old rock star through the ringer during the season 3 finale, but that doesn’t mean Lestat (Sam Reid) stopped caring about his grammar. — Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026

General manager Kyle Davidson said July 1 that his ringer is always on in case a team wants to talk business. — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1834, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ringer

• dead ringer
• ringer tee
• ringer T-shirt

Rhymes for ringer

• bringer
• clinger
• dinger
• inger
• slinger
• springer
• stinger
• stringer
• winger
• wringer

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