ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ding

n. · v.
US //ˈdɪŋ// UK //dˈɪŋ// ding
  1. 1 ringing sound (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the short, high sound that a small bell or a machine makes.

    a high-pitched, resonant sound characteristic of a small bell or an electronic notification.

    Example

    The microwave made a loud ding to let me know the food was ready.

    Example

    The constant ding of incoming notifications on his phone made it impossible for him to focus on the lecture.
  2. 2 small dent (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    a very small mark or dent on something, like a car door or a surfboard.

    a minor surface indentation or chip caused by a light impact.

    Example

    I found a tiny ding on my car door after parking at the supermarket.

    Example

    The rental agency ignored the small ding on the bumper, classifying it as standard wear and tear rather than significant damage.
  3. 3 to penalise (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal American English

    to take away points or money as a small punishment.

    to penalise or deduct points, often in an evaluative or financial context.

    Example

    The teacher will ding you for every spelling mistake in your essay.

    Example

    The credit bureau will ding your score if you fail to make your loan repayments on time.

    Usage

    Often used in the passive voice with 'for'.
  4. 4 to damage slightly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    to hit something and leave a small mark or dent.

    to cause minor physical damage through a light collision or strike.

    Example

    He accidentally dinged the table while moving the heavy chairs.

    Example

    The hail was large enough to ding the roof of the car, though the windows remained intact.
  5. 5 Chinese vessel (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    a type of ancient Chinese pot with legs and a lid.

    a prehistoric and ancient Chinese cauldron, standing on legs with a lid and two facing handles.

    Example

    The museum has a bronze ding from the Shang dynasty.

    Example

    The ritual ding served as a symbol of authority and status during the Western Zhou period.
Etymology 1

From Middle English dingen, dyngen (strong verb), from Old English dingan (“to ding”), from Proto-West Germanic dingwan, from Proto-Germanic dingwaną (“to beat”), from Proto-Indo-European dʰen- (“to beat, push”). Related to Old English denġan, denċġan (“to ding, knock, beat, strike”, weak verb) and Old Norse dengja (“to hammer”, weak verb); both from Proto-Germanic dangijaną (“to beat, hammer, peen”), causative of dingwaną. Cognate with Icelandic dengja (“to hammer”), Swedish dänga (“to bang, beat”), Danish dænge (“to bang, beat”), German tengeln, dengeln (“to peen”).

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic. Compare ding-dong,

Etymology 3

Romanized from Mandarin 鼎 (dǐng).

Etymology 4

From Cantonese 丁 (ding¹).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 20, 2026