# ting

/ˈtɪŋ/ (US) · /tˈɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ting
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a ringing sound

noun · CEFR B2

a short, high-pitched sound like a small bell or a glass being hit.

For teachers: a sharp, high-pitched resonant sound, typically produced by striking metal or glass.

- The microwave made a quiet ting to let me know the food was ready.
- The crystal glass emitted a clear, melodic ting when he accidentally brushed it with his silver spoon during the toast.

### 2. to make a ringing sound

verb · CEFR B2

to make a high, sharp ringing sound.

For teachers: to produce a high-pitched, metallic resonance; often used intransitively.

- The small bell tinged every time someone opened the shop door.
- The metal casing tinged as it cooled down rapidly in the night air after the engine was switched off.

### 3. a thing or person

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · Dialect · Informal

a slang word for 'thing' or sometimes a person you find attractive.

For teachers: a dialectal variant of 'thing', common in Caribbean English and Multicultural London English; it can refer to an object, a situation, or a person.

- He told me not to worry about the whole ting because it was already fixed.
- In certain urban dialects, the speaker might refer to a complex situation or a specific individual simply as a 'ting'.

## Examples

- The microwave made a soft ting when the timer finished.
- I heard the gentle ting of a spoon against a porcelain teacup in the quiet room.
- The silence of the winter morning was broken only by the occasional ting of ice crystals falling against the frozen windowpane.

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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.