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
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 7 Sep. 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
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
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
Verb
The spate of ding-dong-ditch killings has led some authorities to urge kids and teens not to do the prank at all.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 7 Sep. 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
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
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
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So here’s this lunatic with a crew cut.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Prices at the auction were gong up and up.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Traditional software is often cheaper, faster and more reliable when a solution is rules-based and needs fool-proof outputs.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Here’s why the whole enterprise might be a fool’s errand.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That event was still beset by confrontations, with someone jumping on a police officer, protesters smashing glass panes in the doors of the venue and members of the Proud Boys – a far-right group – clashing with demonstrators, according to local media reports.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Cosmists who believed in technology as a messianic force clashed not just with the Svyatogor camp, but also with the communists, whose guiding ideology of Marxism-Leninism was predicated on the dismantling of age-old social systems to establish a novel world order.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Of course, designer decanters, like one by DIOR shaped like a goose, sells for $550.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Marie realizes Danny was the roadblock, so why give up the goose?—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Dogs showing signs of separation anxiety may benefit from gradual desensitization to being alone and learning to dissociate cues like jingling keys from being left alone.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 July 2025
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Some hikers wear small bells that jingle while walking, signaling their presence to animals.—
Ruffin Prevost,
AFAR Media,
18 July 2025
Noun
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The World Health Organization recommends that acutely malnourished children be fed energy-dense foods, such as nut butters and sweet potatoes, and sometimes these can be found locally.—
Pablo Robles,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Soluble fiber can be found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans and some fruits and vegetables.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Ding-dong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ding-dong. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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