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
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
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
Noun
If, however, Madrid find themselves in end-to-end ding-dongs next season — the kind that Guardiola spent his career, and particularly his final season at City, trying to avoid — then Bernardo may not be the man for the occasion.
—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ding-dong
Noun
-
The lunatics are running the asylum.
-
Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Michael Cera, Will Arnett and other lunatics round out the cast.
Verb
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Prices at the auction were gong up and up.
Noun
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Don’t let the cream’s $8 price tag fool you; the anti-aging find tackles fine lines, wrinkles, and clogged pores, all while being gentle enough for all skin types.
-
This is an ignoble war making monsters and fools out of its participants, and against the uncontrollable weapons that are dragons, everyone’s resolve is crumbling.
Verb
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The Port of Los Angeles also clashed with coastal communities last year over the possible raising of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
-
Egypt and Iran objected after the draw, with Egypt’s Football Association saying such events clashed with its cultural and religious values.
Noun
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Each morning, the city's street-flusher truck cleans goose droppings from the riverfront concrete walkway, but officials said the equipment cannot remove droppings left on grassy areas.
-
Was there pressure on you as this goose whose golden eggs were all going to Apple?
Verb
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The Household Cavalry, on dark horses and with brightly shining breastplates, trotted past, jingling like a cutlery drawer.
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The hiker then begins jingling bells in the bear's face in an attempt to scare it off, but the bear charges forward.
Noun
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The main omega-6 fat found in nuts is linoleic acid, which is key for heart health and lowering LDL cholesterol, studies show.
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Higher operating costs, tighter regulation and weak nut prices have done the rest.
Verb
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The report also dings the Harris campaign for failing to distance the candidate from Biden, in light of his unpopularity at the time.
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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.
Cite this Entry
“Ding-dong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ding-dong. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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