ping

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Computing Technical

n. the speed of your internet connection, specifically how long it takes for data to travel.

n. the round-trip time for a data packet to travel from a local host to a remote server and back.

“My ping is so high that the game is starting to lag.”

“Competitive gamers often invest in high-speed fiber connections to ensure their ping remains below twenty milliseconds during online matches.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to send someone a quick message or email to get their attention.

v. to contact an individual via a brief electronic message, typically to request a status update or acknowledgement.

“I will ping you on Slack once the meeting is over.”

“The project manager promised to ping the developers as soon as the client approved the final design specifications.”

C1 · Advanced Computing Technical

v. to send a signal to a computer to see if it is working.

v. to transmit an ICMP echo request to a network host to verify connectivity and measure response time.

“Try to ping the server to see if the website is actually down.”

“The network administrator attempted to ping the remote gateway to determine whether the outage was internal or caused by the service provider.”

C2 · Proficiency Informal

v. to hit something and bounce off quickly with a sharp sound.

v. to deflect or ricochet off a surface, typically producing a high-pitched sound upon impact.

“The small pebble pinged off the car's windshield but didn't leave a crack.”

“Hailstones began to ping against the corrugated metal roof, creating a deafening rhythm that drowned out our conversation.”