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ring

ring

263 7.2
A group of people who work together to do illegal things
  • noun
  • /rɪŋ/
  • Literature
translation icon : 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
832 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
180 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
130 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
drug cartel
vsring
  • NSFW
36 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
syndicate
vsring
34 7.3

A group of people who run illegal businesses together

is broader and can mean any group involved in wrongdoing
8 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
57 3.5

To seem familiar and make you remember something

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

8.9

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

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

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

5.4

Make someone think there may be a problem

To start a show by lifting the curtain

Compounds

87 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

11 3.8

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

10 1.0

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

6 1.0

A small metal ring that holds keys together

5 1.9

A square area with ropes where boxers fight

3 3.6

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

3 2.4

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

brass ring
  • Informal
2 7.4

A chance to get great success or a big reward

cock ring
  • Offensive
2 9.8

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

2 3.2

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

2 5.4

A situation with confusion and many things happening at once

1 1.4

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

1 2.7

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

1 6.5

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

1 5.3

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

growth ring
  • Specialized
1 3.8

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

ring ceremony
  • Formal
1 4.6

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

1 7.6

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

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

O-ring
  • Specialized
1 6.1

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

A small ring that babies chew to soothe sore gums

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

1 7.7

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

benzene ring
  • Specialized
1 5.4

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

key ring
  • Specialized
1 4.1

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

1 3.2

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

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

prize ring
  • Archaic
1 4.9

A square area with ropes where boxers fight

1 9.9

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

1 6.0

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

piston ring
  • Specialized
1 6.0

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

1 1.9

A round hoop on a wall for hanging a towel

3.6

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

coffee ring
  • Specialized
6.4

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

closed-ring
  • Specialized
7.7

Having atoms joined together to form a ring

7.0

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

anchor ring
  • Specialized
7.7

A doughnut-shaped solid with a hole in the middle

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

A mushroom that grows in a circle on grass

lock ring
  • Specialized
5.8

A small round ring that keeps a nut from coming loose

A ring with a picture of the cartoon mouse Mickey Mouse

mourning ring
  • Archaic
9.9

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

heterocyclic ring
  • Specialized
8.1

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

ring containment
  • Specialized
7.4

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

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

ring disease
  • Specialized
7.7

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

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

ring rot
  • Specialized
7.9

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

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

9.9

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

6.9

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

ring vaccination
  • Specialized
3.7

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

ring wall
  • Specialized
6.9

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

ring wall
  • Specialized
7.5

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

4.6

A low circular wall that keeps soil in place around plants

ring-a-rosy
  • Baby Talk
9.9

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

9.9

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

ring-around-a-rosy
  • Baby Talk
8.0

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

A large green parrot with a ring of colour around its neck

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

A small harmless snake with a yellow or orange ring around its neck

With a tail that has clear dark and light bands

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

ring-stalked fungus
  • Specialized
9.9

A mushroom with gills and a ring on its stem that makes brown spores

parhelic ring
  • Specialized
9.9

A bright ring across the sky at the same height as the sun formed when sunlight passes through ice crystals

pinion and ring gear
  • Specialized
8.0

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

7.0

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

5.8

A raised circle where sumo wrestlers fight

sweet-potato ring rot
  • Specialized
7.9

A disease that makes rings of dry rot on sweet potato roots

How Organized

organized crime
  • NSFW
72 3.4
syndicate
34 7.3
cartel
210 7.9
ring
  • Literature
263 7.2
gang
832 2.8
mob
219 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.