Skip to main content
to ring

to ring

87 2.5
To form a circle around something to surround it
  • verb
  • /rɪŋ/
translation icon : rodear
  • Ring the area with your men.

Having that money in a cash ISA still ring fences it in an ISA.

Examples

  • Don, you can tell me confidentially are these rumors true that wedding bells are soon to ring for you and Lina?

  • "The phone started to ring as Elyria walked Ortega to the door."

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Do you want us to ring in or write it down?

  • Nobody said do not go ring their doorbell.

  • Many of those newcomers flock to the barrier islands that ring Florida and other coastal states.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Substitute "missions" for "residential schools," and that passage rings true for California missionized survivors with a clarity I cannot ignore.

    Academic text (2016)
  • The firefighters decided to ring the entire area to ensure no one was left inside the building.

  • As the parade went by, the children formed a line to ring the float with colorful decorations.

  • To protect the crops from animals, the farmers chose to ring the field with a fence.

Synonyms

to surround
vsto ring
1.7

To be all around a person or thing on every side

is about forming an enclosing circle rather than action or intent
to circle
vsto ring
70 2.0

To draw a line around something to show it

surrounds or encloses on all sides rather than just drawing shape
to encircle
vsto ring
33 3.4

To form a circle around a person or thing

surrounds on all sides but is not limited to perfect circular form
to circle around
vsto ring
21 2.3

Move in a round path around someone or something

describes forming a static enclosing circle rather than moving around
to environ
vsto ring
1 8.8

To surround something on all sides

is specifically about forming an enclosing circle rather than vague surround
to englobe
vsto ring
8.4

Completely surround something, often in a round shape like a ball

covers surrounding in a circular way but not necessarily rounded or spherical
to circle round
vsto ring
3.5

Move around something or someone in a circle

focuses on making an enclosing circle rather than continuous motion

Antonyms

104 4.4

To cause people and things, like a crowd or fog, to spread over a wide area

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

Phrasal Verbs

26 3.6

To make a loud clear sound that people can hear far away

to ring true
  • Informal
24 4.2

To seem real and believable

17 2.8

To enter items and prices into a cash register when someone buys them

To sound not sincere or true to people

To seem untrue or not honest

To break up an illegal group that sells drugs, usually by police

To phone someone

Hit a gong to show the start or end of an event

8.2

To strongly attract or excite someone

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 Complete

to envelop
41 4.5
to enclose
84 3.7
to ring
87 2.5
to surround
1.7
to border
46 2.3

Surface Forms

ring infinitive
ringing present participle
rings third person singular
rang past
rung past participle

Etymology

To ring something, meaning to go all around it, comes from making a 'ring' or circle, so police 'ring' a building when they surround it on all sides.