Word
ringer
US/ˈɹɪŋɝ/
UK/ɹˈɪŋɐ/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a person who is secretly very good at a sport or game but joins a team of beginners to help them win. It can also mean someone who looks exactly like another person.
n. a person or thing that is highly similar to another; also, a highly skilled competitor who enters a contest under false pretences to gain an advantage. Often used in the phrase 'dead ringer' to describe a perfect physical resemblance.
Examples
“He is a dead ringer for that famous actor.”
“The other team brought in a ringer from the semi-pro league just to win the local charity tournament.”
“Suspicions arose when the supposedly amateur cyclist outperformed the veterans, leading the committee to investigate whether the team had recruited a ringer to secure the sponsorship prize.”
Examples
simple
“He is a dead ringer for that famous actor.”
contextual
“The other team brought in a ringer from the semi-pro league just to win the local charity tournament.”
complex
“Suspicions arose when the supposedly amateur cyclist outperformed the veterans, leading the committee to investigate whether the team had recruited a ringer to secure the sponsorship prize.”
Usage
Commonly appears in the idiomatic expression 'dead ringer' followed by the preposition 'for'.
Etymology
From Middle English ringere, rynger, ryngar, equivalent to ring (“to sound a bell”) + -er.
From ring (“to surround”) + -er.
Unknown. Probably so named after the custom of ringing a bell to denote the winner of a contest or competition.
Some senses may derive from ring the changes (“run through variations; enliven; pass counterfeit money; trick a shopkeeper into giving too much change”).
Unclear. Compare ring of truth.
From ring + -er, from the noun.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Idioms
01. dead ringer
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/ringer