as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
there's always one ding-dong in the tour group who wanders off and gets lost
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Recent Examples of ding-dong
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
That was a fantastically exciting ding-dong 2-2 — with Atletico missing a 99th penalty and eventually being eliminated from the Champions League after the group stage.
—Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Not a very productive interrogation … that is until there’s a ding-dong at the door.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2024
Ditch the classic ding-dong and instead opt for a more holiday-appropriate sound, like a howl, a cackling witch, or other creepy sounds.
—Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2024
Up on the quite lush chopping block in season three is, appropriately, sibling No. 3, traveling ding-dong Colin.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 May 2024
The mess-up puts Jamie and Marian in the crosshairs of a local crime organization headed by a soft-spoken brute known only as the Chief (Colman Domingo), who enlists two thuggish ding-dongs to get the suitcase back.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
Bomer is good when Jerry the ding-dong must navigate a moment of real sentiment or complication; the juxtaposition is effective.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
That was a fantastically exciting ding-dong 2-2 — with Atletico missing a 99th penalty and eventually being eliminated from the Champions League after the group stage.
—Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Not a very productive interrogation … that is until there’s a ding-dong at the door.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2024
Ditch the classic ding-dong and instead opt for a more holiday-appropriate sound, like a howl, a cackling witch, or other creepy sounds.
—Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2024
Up on the quite lush chopping block in season three is, appropriately, sibling No. 3, traveling ding-dong Colin.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 May 2024
The mess-up puts Jamie and Marian in the crosshairs of a local crime organization headed by a soft-spoken brute known only as the Chief (Colman Domingo), who enlists two thuggish ding-dongs to get the suitcase back.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ding-dong
Noun
-
There’s a holy fool quality to the boy, who is the subject of teasing.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
-
Hardly anyone would prefer to be made the fool — healthy skepticism can prevent you from clicking on a phishing link in an email or joining a multilevel marketing scheme — but a life of cynicism isn’t preferable either.—
Allie Volpe,
Vox,
7 May 2025
Verb
-
In season 9, Singer clashed with her costar Carole Radziwill over politics.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
-
The countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, and clashed many times.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
11 May 2025
Noun
-
And a guinea pig, chickens, ducks, finches, a goose, rabbits, donkeys, pigs, a cow, goats, horses… Our family consisted of a menagerie of species.—
Chi Varnado,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2025
-
On Easter Sunday, Duhamel took to Instagram and shared a video of himself in a blue suit removing a goose from the grille of his SUV.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And that repeating first couplet — which comprises six of the poem’s 18 lines and occupied the first day of this challenge — will surely jingle in your pocket for a long time to come.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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Men dressed as 1880s gunfighters are forever clomping up and down wooden sidewalks with jingling spurs and holstered revolvers on their belts.—
Richard Grant,
Smithsonian Magazine,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
La Cañada resident Trent Sanders, who frequently dings California’s liberal politicos in emails to me and my colleagues, thinks Trump is generally on the right track three months into his term, but with a few caveats.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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Each application requires the card issuer or lender to pull your credit report, which results in a hard inquiry on your report and dings your credit score a few points.—
Dan Avery,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But this time, his front-right tire was slow to come off, seemingly as the wheel gun did not connect with the wheel nut on the first attempt.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Botanically the fruit is a drupe, not a nut.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Shaking the capsules produces audio signals that range from rattling stones, over tinkling coins to swooshing sand.—
Erico Guizzo,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Oct. 2018
-
Jeff Goldblum tinkled the ivories during a moving In Memoriam section at the BAFTA Film Awards.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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His 25-foot, step-back clanged out with 9.1 seconds to play.—
Bill Speros,
Boston Herald,
7 May 2025
-
When his soaring fly ball clanged off the right-field wall at Truist Park, the Atlanta Braves outfielder was caught flat-footed.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ding-dong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ding-dong. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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