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ding-dong

ding-dong

1 3.6
A repeated ringing sound a bell makes
  • noun
  • /dɪŋ dɔŋ/
translation icon : ding-dong
  • I heard a cheerful ding-dong as I rang the doorbell.

Examples

  • Women in heels clicked erratically around them, people brushed past them and overcame them from behind, and all the while the trains were coming and going with the ding-dong of the departure announcements.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The Roman coaches with the ding-dong of their warning bells drove carefully.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • "We work in the morning hear the ding-dong ring...

  • I heard that ding-dong you had with Forsythe.

  • He pressed the hard bell nipple and heard a muffled, deep ding-dong.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • DING DONG!

  • The ding-dong of the church bell signaled the start of the wedding.

  • As she pressed the button, the ding-dong echoed through the empty house.

Synonyms

bell
vsding-dong
221 1.0

A clear ringing sound made by a struck metal object

describes the same noise as a repeated sequence rather than one strike
ringing
vsding-dong
133 1.0

A clear loud sound a bell or similar thing makes when hit

focuses on repeated occurrences rather than a single struck sound
chime
vsding-dong
23 1.7

A clear musical ringing sound made by a bell or a set of bells

is a plain repeated ringing sound without musical emphasis
bell ringing
vsding-dong
1 3.3

A sound made by bells during a ceremony or musical performance

occurs in everyday repeated alerts rather than formal musical performance
Ding Dongs
vsding-dong
4.2

Clear ringing sounds that bells make

is used for one repeated ringing event rather than many sounds
tintinnabulation
vsding-dong
  • Archaic
9.9

A light ringing sound made by bells or wind chimes

is a fuller repeated ringing sound rather than thin tinkling tones
bell-like call
vsding-dong
  • Texting
3.7

A short bell sound on a phone or app that signals a message

is a longer repeated ringing used by physical hardware rather than a brief alert

How Long

toll
20 6.3
to peal
1 6.4
ding-dong
1 3.6
ding
49 3.7
peep
14 1.0

Surface Forms

ding-dong singular
ding-dongs plural

Morphology

ding-dong = ding + dong (transparent) = ding + dong

A direct reduplicative compound of two onomatopoeic sound words; the meaning (bell-like ringing) follows transparently from the parts.

Etymology

Ding-dong copies the two sounds a bell makes: ding and dong. So, a ding-dong is the repeated ringing or doorbell 'sound', and that helps you remember it is the noise you hear when someone is at the door.