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
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 May 2026
While moist’s related meanings certainly might drive our dislike, Max Müller’s ding-dong theory, known now as sound symbolism, provides an alternative, suggesting it instead (or also) might have something to do with the specific sounds that are in the word.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
Hopefully, now this kid can stop being a moody ass little ding-dong about it.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 May 2026
While moist’s related meanings certainly might drive our dislike, Max Müller’s ding-dong theory, known now as sound symbolism, provides an alternative, suggesting it instead (or also) might have something to do with the specific sounds that are in the word.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ding-dong
Noun
-
Mark Hamill has been a lunatic for years now.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
To get a sentence like that in a communist, radically left-wing city of liberal lunatics is truly amazing.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Prices at the auction were gong up and up.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Trying to control such speech or sanitize any possibility of offense, disagreement, or discomfort, will be a fool’s errand in a diverse democracy.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
The king, the fool — there are so many parallels for me.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Their startup, known as Uber, initially clawed its way to success with a growth-at-all-costs strategy that sometimes involved operating without municipal consent, ignoring court orders and clashing with local regulations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
-
Higher petrol costs have sparked deadly protests and strikes across Africa, with demonstrators in Comoros, Kenya, and Mozambique clashing with authorities in recent days.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
One of the most classic designs is from Union Products, which makes a nearly-2-foot-tall goose that’s perfect for porches, patios, gardens, and entryways.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 May 2026
-
Some shaggy buffalo drowsed in a patch of shade, and a hose fed water into a large puddle where a white goose paddled in tight circles.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The Household Cavalry, on dark horses and with brightly shining breastplates, trotted past, jingling like a cutlery drawer.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
The hiker then begins jingling bells in the bear's face in an attempt to scare it off, but the bear charges forward.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Save room for the Stillwell’s chili as course two, made with Harwood Premium Beef (HWD), corn nuts, chilis and a cheese Monray sauce.—
Ella Gonzales
May 22,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 May 2026
-
Unscrew the nut that's keeping the P-trap in place and remove it from the pipes.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ding-dong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ding-dong. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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