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
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That Tomás, who has already survived the Great Hunger as well as a cruel workhouse, isn’t already a lunatic is perhaps less fantastical than the plot itself at times.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Duterte painted him as a lunatic.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Prices at the auction were gong up and up.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But Cramer said that is a fool’s errands as the market seemingly changes its tune each quarter.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Of course, comparing the bottle in question to contemporary releases is a fool’s errand—this was something different entirely.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The championship hopefuls from the Fort Worth area could clash with DeSoto in an eventual playoff run.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
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However, the club’s defensive crisis has eased somewhat, with Ibrahima Konate set to return to the side for Saturday’s home Premier League clash with Newcastle United after missing three matches following the death of his father.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That Monday afternoon, Kitterman was goose hunting in the area with five friends, KSDK reported.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
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But those synergies and efforts to goose company revenue were not enough to outpace costs; the company was losing about $500,000 a year.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Jan. 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
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The next signs of the nation’s political divide might be jingling in your pocket next year.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
12 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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The crust, made with flour from Barton Springs Mill in Dripping Springs, is sturdy, a blend of butter, nut and earth with a nice crackle.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
29 Jan. 2026
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Non-meat sources of protein such as beans, lentils, peas, tofu, whole grains, nuts and seeds are good additions to everyone’s diet.—
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ding-dong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ding-dong. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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