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ring

ring

109 7.2
A group of people who work together to do illegal things
  • noun
  • /rɪŋ/
  • Literature
: banda
  • Theories ranged from a cult of devil worshipers to a prostitution ring up in the next county.

There was a paedophile ring operating for decades.

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Examples

  • After months of investigation, they finally arrested the leaders of the illegal smuggling ring.

  • The tape accuses President Clinton of running a drug ring and having people murdered.

    Academic text (1996)
  • His day-to-day is breaking up human trafficking rings.

  • The police are cracking down on a large drug ring that has been operating in the city for years.

  • The authorities believe that this new evidence will result in the dismantling of the human trafficking ring.

Synonyms

gang
vsring
960 2.8

A group of people who commit crimes together

is a broader term for collaborating criminals that can be formal or informal
mob
vsring
187 5.3

A group of criminals who run illegal businesses together

is a neutral name for any collaborating criminals without specific trade focus
Mafia
vsring
168 4.4

A secret group that commits crimes and controls illegal businesses

is a general word for criminal groups, not tied to a secret tradition
syndicate
vsring
51 7.3

A group of people who run illegal businesses together

is broader and can mean any group involved in wrongdoing
drug cartel
vsring
  • NSFW
48 5.3

A group that makes and sells illegal drugs and uses violence or bribes officials to control the business

is a general label for criminal collaborators not limited to drugs
10 4.5

An organized group of criminals who work together to do illegal things

is a general term for any people working together in illegal acts
gambling ring
vsring
  • NSFW
1 5.3

A group of people who secretly run illegal betting, like on sports or card games

is a general name for criminal groups not restricted to betting
crookery
vsring
9.9

A group of dishonest people who work together to commit crimes

is a neutral umbrella term for people acting together in illegal ways

Idioms

to ring a bell
  • Informal
63 3.5

To seem familiar and make you remember something

7 8.9

To show too much respect and do what a person in power wants

Keep a wedding ring safely until it is needed in the ceremony

1 5.4

Make someone think there may be a problem

1 9.9

To fill the air with loud happy sounds like singing or laughter

To start a show by lifting the curtain

To say you will run for a position, for example in an election

Compounds

105 1.0

A metal band worn to show two people are married

A ring with a stone like a diamond given to someone to show they will marry

12 3.8

A small metal piece worn through the nose for decoration or to control an animal

10 1.0

A small metal ring that holds keys together

brass ring
  • Informal
8 7.4

A chance to get great success or a big reward

7 1.9

A square area with ropes where boxers fight

O-ring
  • Specialized
6 6.1

A round rubber or plastic ring that seals a joint to stop leaks

4 5.4

A situation with confusion and many things happening at once

cock ring
  • Offensive
4 9.8

A ring worn around the penis base to help keep an erection by reducing blood flow

4 3.6

A small ring that holds a person's napkin at the table

A live show with three rings where many acts happen at once

2 6.5

A ring with a carved seal used to stamp wax to show who owned or approved a document

2 6.0

A children's game where players hold hands, walk in a circle, and fall down while singing

2 2.4

A folder with rings that open to hold loose sheets of paper

2 3.2

A main road that goes around a city to avoid the center

2 2.7

A round object you throw to someone in water to help them float

2 5.3

With a tail that has clear dark and light bands

2 7.7

A ring of mushrooms that grows on grass from fungus under the ground

2 1.4

A small metal or plastic loop that hangs a curtain on a rod

growth ring
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A layer of wood made in one year that appears as a ring in a tree trunk

1 7.6

A young woman who walks into the boxing ring between rounds holding a sign with the next round number

A small ring that babies chew to soothe sore gums

A square platform with ropes where two people try to make each other fall

A small animal from Madagascar with a long tail that has black and white rings

1 5.3

A group of people who secretly run illegal betting, like on sports or card games

1 1.0

The finger between the middle finger and little finger where people often wear wedding rings

1 3.2

A metal ring on a gas stove that makes a flame for cooking

piston ring
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A thin metal band that fits around a piston to stop gas and oil leaking past it

Kayser-Fleischer ring
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A golden-brown or green ring at the edge of the clear front of the eye seen in Wilson's disease

coffee ring
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A ring-shaped mark that appears at the edge of a liquid drop as it dries

lock ring
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A small round ring that keeps a nut from coming loose

benzene ring
  • Specialized
1 5.4

A ring of six carbon atoms, each joined to a hydrogen, found in many organic molecules

prize ring
  • Archaic
1 4.9

A square area with ropes where boxers fight

ring ceremony
  • Formal
1 4.6

A formal event where students receive a class ring to mark graduation

ring vaccination
  • Specialized
1 3.7

Vaccinating people who were close to someone who had the disease to stop it spreading

1 3.6

A ring of wood in a tree trunk that shows one year's growth

ring-a-rosy
  • Baby Talk
1 9.9

A children's game where players hold hands, move in a circle and fall down together

A common bird with bright feathers and a white ring on its neck

1 1.9

A round hoop on a wall for hanging a towel

ring rot
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A disease caused by bacteria that makes potato and tomato stems or tubers rot in a ring

1 9.9

A type of flexible armor made of small metal rings linked together

ring-around-a-rosy
  • Baby Talk
1 8.0

A children's game where players hold hands in a circle, sing, and fall down

1 5.8

A raised circle where sumo wrestlers fight

1 9.9

A European bird often found on rocky hills with dark feathers and a white band on the male's neck

storage ring
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A ring of magnets that keeps charged particles like electrons moving fast in a particle accelerator

mourning ring
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A ring people wear to remember a dead person, often with writing or hair

1 7.0

A ring with a carved top you press into wax to make a mark

ring disease
  • Specialized
1 7.7

An illness of plants like tomatoes and potatoes caused by bacteria that makes dark rings in the stem

tension ring
  • Offensive
1 7.5

A ring that you put at the base of the penis to help it stay hard by reducing blood flow

snap ring
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A metal loop with a spring clip for quickly attaching rope or gear

ring wall
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A circular strong wall built under a heavy structure to support its weight

anchor ring
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A doughnut-shaped solid with a hole in the middle

A ring with a picture of the cartoon mouse Mickey Mouse

1 4.5

A group of people who form a circle and dance together, often holding hands

A mushroom that grows in a circle on grass

ring wall
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A circular wall around a village or town that protects people from attack

heterocyclic ring
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A ring of atoms in a molecule with at least one non-carbon atom

A small circular area of color on the skin around a bite or wound

1 3.6

A ring-shaped cake often made with fruit or nuts and topped with icing

key ring
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A secure place on a computer that stores passwords and secret codes for apps and the system

1 8.5

An animal like a raccoon that has a long bushy tail with black and white rings

slip ring
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A metal ring on a rotating part that keeps an electric connection to a fixed part

1 7.0

A ring that you put at the base of the penis to slow blood flow and help keep it hard

1 9.9

A European bird whose male has dark feathers and a white band around the neck

pinion and ring gear
  • Specialized
1 8.0

Gears that fit together at a right angle to send power between car axles

closed-ring
  • Specialized
7.7

Having atoms joined together to form a ring

ring containment
  • Specialized
7.4

A way to stop disease by giving vaccines to people exposed and their close contacts

ring armor
  • Archaic
9.9

Flexible protective clothing made from small metal rings linked together

A black thrush with a white band around its neck that lives on rocky hills

ring rot bacteria
  • Specialized
6.5

Bacteria that cause a disease making crops like potatoes and tomatoes go soft and brown

ring rot fungus
  • Specialized
8.0

A small living thing that makes fruits and vegetables rot, often making dry rings near sweet potato roots

6.9

A harmless snake with a bright ring around its neck found in North America or Europe

4.6

A low circular wall that keeps soil in place around plants

How Organized

organized crime
  • NSFW
91 3.4
syndicate
51 7.3
cartel
233 7.9
ring
  • Literature
109 7.2
gang
960 2.8
mob
259 3.4

Surface Forms

ring singular
rings plural

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the criminal use of ring is to picture people standing in a 'circle' together to do secret work, so a 'ring' is a group that works together, often illegally.