# pong

/ˈpɔŋ/ (US) · /pˈɒŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pong
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. a bad smell

noun · CEFR C1 · British English · Informal

a strong, unpleasant smell.

For teachers: a strong, unpleasant odour. Often used in informal British and Commonwealth contexts.

- There is a terrible pong coming from the bin in the kitchen.
- The investigators were greeted by a distinctive pong of damp and decay as they entered the abandoned basement.

Usage: Commonly used with the verb 'to have' or 'there is'.

### 2. to smell bad

verb · CEFR C1 · British English · Informal

to have a very bad smell.

For teachers: to emit a strong, unpleasant odour. Intransitive use.

- Your gym shoes really pong after that long run.
- The entire locker room began to pong once the heating was turned up, forcing the staff to open all the windows.

Usage: The verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object.

### 3. video game

noun · CEFR B2

one of the first video games, where you hit a ball back and forth like table tennis.

For teachers: a pioneering arcade video game released by Atari, featuring simple two-dimensional graphics that simulate table tennis.

- My father still has an old console that only plays Pong.
- The simplicity of Pong was revolutionary for its time, laying the groundwork for the entire multi-billion dollar gaming industry.

Teaching tip: Usually capitalized as 'Pong' because it is a brand name and title.

### 4. network response

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a signal sent back by a computer to show it is connected to a network.

For teachers: a packet sent in response to a 'ping' to verify the presence and responsiveness of a host on a network.

- The server failed to send a pong, so we knew the connection was down.
- Network latency can be measured by the time elapsed between the initial ping and the receipt of the corresponding pong.

Usage: Used almost exclusively in the context of the 'ping-pong' diagnostic process.

### 5. theatre improvisation

verb · CEFR C2 · Slang

to make up a new line in a play when you forget the real one.

For teachers: to improvise or invent dialogue during a theatrical performance when a line has been forgotten.

- The actor had to pong his way through the scene after missing his cue.
- Experienced stage actors are often skilled at ponging, ensuring the audience never notices a lapse in the script.

Teaching tip: This is very specific professional jargon; most native speakers outside of the theatre world will not know this sense.

## Examples

- There is a terrible pong coming from the kitchen bin.
- The locker room was filled with the unmistakable pong of damp towels and old trainers.
- Despite the heavy application of floral air fresheners, the persistent pong of the burst sewage pipe continued to drift through the ground floor of the office building.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.