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
-
Predicting the future is a fool’s game.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
But don't let his calm demeanor fool you.—
Joelle Goldstein,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
However, the anticipated state finals clash was not to be as Calabasas dropped the baton in the Southern Section finals and failed to advance.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
An unassuming industrial area on the outskirts of Newark, New Jersey, is a hub of discourse this week as one day after another, protesters clash with federal agents outside an ICE detention facility while lawmakers call for inspections and oversight.—
David Williams,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
This typically gets worse over time and is often accompanied by a harsh goose-honking cough triggered by excitement or exercise.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
Each spring since then, the National Park Service scrubs out a year’s worth of goose poop and other debris to keep the pool clean and the algae away.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
29 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
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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.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The crowd, feeling the need for an offensive punch, went nuts.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
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Specializing in creative lattes like brown suga baby (brown sugar, toffee nut, coconut, white chocolate, espresso, steamed milk) and lavender and chill (lavender, vanilla, espresso, steamed milk), Black Coffee opened in the Vivian apartment complex in 2024.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ding-dong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ding-dong. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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