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
Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Legal experts note people playing ding-dong ditch can also face charges, with offenses ranging from criminal trespass to disorderly conduct.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 6 Jan. 2026
Earlier this year, an 11-year-old boy in Houston was shot and killed while playing the seemingly harmless prank of ding-dong-ditch.
—Stephanie Murray, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
In their search for a late-night ding-dong ditcher, a California homeowner discovered a bear pulling a prank.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
In 2020, three 16-year-olds were killed when a man rammed his car into their vehicle in retaliation for pulling a ding-dong-ditch prank on him.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
In California, a 45-year-old man who ran down a group of ding-dong ditch pranksters, killing three teenagers, was sentenced in 2023 to life in prison.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2025
Three kids playing a ding-dong ditch prank in a southwest Florida neighborhood ended up getting chased down and nearly hit by one resident in a car, authorities said.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 16 July 2025
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
Noun
In North Carolina, a juvenile was shot in the leg after a homeowner fired at a vehicle during a late-night ding-dong ditch-style prank, according to police.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Legal experts note people playing ding-dong ditch can also face charges, with offenses ranging from criminal trespass to disorderly conduct.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 6 Jan. 2026
Earlier this year, an 11-year-old boy in Houston was shot and killed while playing the seemingly harmless prank of ding-dong-ditch.
—Stephanie Murray, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
In their search for a late-night ding-dong ditcher, a California homeowner discovered a bear pulling a prank.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
In 2020, three 16-year-olds were killed when a man rammed his car into their vehicle in retaliation for pulling a ding-dong-ditch prank on him.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
In California, a 45-year-old man who ran down a group of ding-dong ditch pranksters, killing three teenagers, was sentenced in 2023 to life in prison.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2025
Three kids playing a ding-dong ditch prank in a southwest Florida neighborhood ended up getting chased down and nearly hit by one resident in a car, authorities said.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 16 July 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ding-dong
Noun
-
Even then, though, the popular take — the story of the lunatics taking over asylum — didn’t sit right with me.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Beating these lunatics was incredible, right?—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Prices at the auction were gong up and up.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Don't let the simple name of this recipe fool you—this casserole is surprisingly complex.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
-
My group Unleash Prosperity warned repeatedly during the Biden years that the auto industry was sowing the seeds of its own destruction by getting hooked on the fool’s profits of taxpayer handouts for EVs.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At the 2022 Qatar World Cup, for example, before a game against Wales, fans supporting the Iranian government clashed with those protesting against the regime.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 Mar. 2026
-
That comes after the Department of Defense clashed with Anthropic in recent weeks over how the agency can use its AI models.—
Nur Hikmah Md Ali,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Decathlon’s 800-fill duck down is still high-loft, but costs less than the more expensive goose down.—
Maggie Slepian,
Outside,
27 Feb. 2026
-
What’s fair for the goddamn goose.—
Jesse Dorris,
Pitchfork,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Netflix and Amazon jingled all the way to some big audiences on Christmas Day, thanks to the NFL.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
31 Dec. 2025
-
The city’s more than 25-year-old parade marched down Crown Valley Parkway Saturday morning, Dec. 13, jingling all the way.—
Heather McRea,
Oc Register,
14 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Future transshipment rules, for instance, could ding individual components that are made in one country—China, again, is a good bet—and then integrated into a product without enough of a transformation in another before winding up in the United States.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
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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
Noun
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With a scientific advisory board that includes the top experts in microbiome research and clinical science, Seed focuses on nuts-to-bolts testing and scientific evidence.—
Brianna Peters,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
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Rethink the morning meal with ideas like a Greek yogurt bowl with chia seeds, eggs with black beans, cottage cheese with fruit or a smoothie made with milk and nut butter.—
LeeAnn Weintraub,
Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ding-dong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ding-dong. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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