ding

[dɪŋ]

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A "ding" is a small sound that's often loud and sharp. It can also mean hitting something gently.

When people talk about dings, they usually think of that little "ding" sound first. But sometimes they might use it to describe when an object collides with something else - for example, if your car gets a minor scratch after bumping into another vehicle on the road, you could say it got a ding. It's not as severe as a crash, but still noticeable.

How common is "ding"?

Word ding is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

Very minor damage, a small dent or chip.
A rejection.
Example: I just got my first ding letter.

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verb

To hit or strike.
To dash; to throw violently.
To inflict minor damage upon, especially by hitting or striking.
To fire or reject.
Example: His top school dinged him last week.
To deduct, as points, from another, in the manner of a penalty; to penalize.
Example: My bank dinged me three bucks for using their competitor's ATM.
To mishit (a golf ball).