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
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
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
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
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
-
So that episode will make fun [of] billionaire life-extension body-hacking lunatics.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
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Whether those people are sickened by grief and rage into a kind of temporary insanity, genuine lunatics, hustlers looking to milk a little more engagement or some combination of the three doesn’t really matter.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Prices at the auction were gong up and up.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The documentary shows a video that was uploaded to TikTok of Valencia fans chanting at Vinicius Jr, with the transcription as ‘mono’ (monkey) rather than ‘tonto’ (fool).—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Don’t let its compact size fool you, though.—
Jordyn Burrell,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Roll with the chaos as the moon and Uranus clash.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The Maranello outfit released Leclerc into the path of Norris, causing the pair to clash and the McLaren driver to crash into the wall.—
Lydia Mee,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Of course, designer decanters, like one by DIOR shaped like a goose, sells for $550.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Marie realizes Danny was the roadblock, so why give up the goose?—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With real feathers and a jingling bell, this feather cat teaser taps into your cat’s natural hunting instincts.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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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
Noun
-
Oxo Good Grips Vegetable Chopper This one-cup chopper efficiently dices small ingredients, like garlic and nuts.—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
-
This is the best option for high-oil nuts like walnuts, pecans, macadamias, and pine nuts.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 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 6 Oct. 2025.
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