ring

RING/ɹɪŋ/

Pluralrings

Verbrings, ringing, rang, rung

48 meanings of ring

Practice

1
jewelrynouncountable
A small circle of metal that you wear on a finger, or in your ear or nose.
Like a tiny hoop that slides onto your finger.
She wore a gold ring on her right hand.
He bought a silver ring with a blue stone.
UsageSay a wedding ring, an earring.
Similarband
Note
2
circle (object)nouncountable
A round, hollow object shaped like a circle, such as a hoop or loop.
Like a round loop, such as the one that holds your keys.
She attached her keys to a metal ring.
He pulled the ring to open the can.
Similarhoop, annulus, torus
Note
3
phone soundingverbfigurativelyintransitive
When a bell or phone rings, it makes a clear loud sound. You can also ring a bell yourself.
Can you answer the phone if it starts to ring?
Her alarm clock was ringing at six, but she slept right through it.
UsageSay the phone rang (not ~~incorrect: ringed~~).
Similarsound, chime, peal
4
arenanouncountable
A space where sports or shows take place, like the area where boxers fight.
Like the space inside the ropes where two boxers fight.
The boxer stepped into the ring for the final round.
Clowns ran around the circus ring to make the crowd laugh.
UsageSay enter the ring.
Similararena, fray
Note
5
nouncountable
The clear sound a bell makes, or another loud sound that seems to echo.
Like the sound that hangs in the air after you tap a glass.
The ring of the school bell told us it was time to go.
I heard the bright ring of a hammer hitting metal.
Similarpeal, chime, toll
Note
6
nouncountable
A group of people or things arranged in a circle.
Like people holding hands in a big circle.
The children formed a ring around the campfire.
A ring of stones marked the old fire pit.
UsageSay in a ring, or a ring of trees.
Similarcircle
Note
7
gangnouncountable
A small group of people who work together to do something bad or illegal.
Like a secret team that breaks the rules together.
The police broke up a ring that was stealing cars.
A smuggling ring moved goods across the border.
UsageSay a drug ring.
Similargang, syndicate, network, cartel, cabal
Note
8
seemverbfigurativelyintransitive
Of words, to seem to be a certain way when you hear or read them.
Like when a story sounds true or fake the moment you hear it.
His apology did not ring true to anyone.
Her words ring false whenever she talks about money.
UsageSay it rings true or rings hollow.
Similarsound, seem
9
echo throughverbintransitive
To make a sound that keeps going and fills a space.
Like a shout that bounces back to you in a big empty room.
Her laughter rang through the empty hall.
The cheers ring across the stadium after every goal.
UsageSay the room rang with cheers.
Similarresound, echo, reverberate
Note
10
phone someoneverbAustraliaBritishNew Zealandtransitive
To call someone on the telephone to talk to them.
Ring me when you get to the station.
I'll ring my mum after dinner.
UsageSay ring someone, or ring someone up.
Similarcall, phone, telephone
Note
11
round foodnouncountable
A piece of food shaped like a circle with a hole in the middle.
Like a doughnut: round with a hole in the middle.
He ordered a plate of crispy onion rings.
She dipped the squid ring in spicy sauce.
12
planet bandnouncountable
A wide band of dust, ice and rock that circles a planet or a young star.
Like a flat circle of dust and ice going around a planet.
Saturn's bright ring is made of ice and rock.
Through the telescope, we saw a thin ring around the planet.
UsageOften Saturn's rings.
Similarband
Note
13
nouncountable
A round mark left on something, like from a wet glass, or a dark circle around the eyes.
Please use a coaster so your cup doesn't leave a ring on the table.
After studying all night, she had dark rings under her eyes.
UsageSay rings under your eyes.
Similarstain, mark, circle
14
nouncountable
A band of a different color that goes all the way around something.
Like a colored band painted all the way around a pole.
The cat's tail had several white rings along it.
A red ring circled the target's center.
Similarband, stripe
15
atom loopnouncountable
A set of atoms joined together in a closed loop inside a molecule.
Like beads joined into a closed loop with no loose ends.
A benzene ring sits at the center of the molecule.
Carbon atoms form a six-sided ring in this compound.
Note

Less common meanings

16
a phone callnouncolloquialcountable
A phone call you make to talk to someone.
Give me a ring when you get home.
I got a ring from my sister last night.
UsageSay give me a ring.
Similarcall, buzz, bell
17
nouncountable
One of the circles you see in a cut tree trunk, each usually made in one year of growth.
We counted the rings on the stump to find out how old the tree was.
This thick ring shows a year when there was a lot of rain.
Note
18
verbtransitive
To close something in on all sides, or go all the way around it.
Like a wall built all the way around a castle.
Thick stone walls ring the old town all the way around.
Guards ringed the prisoner as he was led outside.
UsageSay a town ringed with hills.
Similarsurround, encircle, enclose, circle, encompass
19
enter a saleverbtransitive
To enter a sale or item into a cash register.
Like adding each price into the machine at the checkout.
The cashier rang up my milk and bread.
Can you ring up these two shirts for me?
UsageSay ring up a sale.
Similarenter, register
20
nounfigurativelycountable
The way something sounds or seems, as in 'it has the ring of truth' or 'a nice ring to it'.
Like the feeling that words sound true or fake when you hear them.
Her story had the ring of truth to it.
Her story had the ring of truth, so we believed her.
UsageOften used with an adjective, as in a familiar ring or a hollow ring.
Similarsound, tone, air, feel, quality
Note
21
tag (bird)verbtransitive
To put a ring on an animal, often on a bird's leg to identify it, or in a pig's nose.
Like putting a name tag on a pet's collar.
Scientists ring young birds to track their migration.
The researcher ringed dozens of gulls last summer.
Similarband, tag
Note
22
between circlesnouncountable
The flat, round band between two circles that share the same center.
Like the flat part of a donut, with a hole in the middle.
Draw a ring by placing one circle inside a larger one.
Draw two circles with the same center, then color in the ring between them.
Similarannulus
Note
23
set of bellsnouncountable
A set of bells tuned to sound well together.
Like a group of singers whose voices blend together.
The church installed a new ring of eight bells last year.
Visitors climbed the tower to see the ring of six bells.
Similarpeal, chime
Note
24
nounBritishcountable
A circle of large standing stones built long ago, such as Stonehenge.
Like a giant circle of stones set up by people long, long ago.
Visitors walked around the ancient stone ring at sunrise.
The ring of standing stones has stood for thousands of years.
UsageOften stone ring.
Similarcircle, henge
Note
25
burnernounUKcountable
One of the round heating parts on the top of a stove.
Like the round hot plate you cook on.
Put the kettle on the back ring to boil.
She turned the gas ring down to a low flame.
UsagePut the pan on a ring.
Similarburner
26
verbintransitive
To be full of a buzzing sound that keeps going, used about your ears or head.
The ball hit him hard in the face, and his head was ringing for a few minutes.
The loud music at the party made my ears ring for hours.
UsageSay my ears are ringing.
Similarbuzz, hum
Note
27
noun
In math, a set of things you can add and multiply by following fixed rules.
28
noun
A level of control in a computer that decides what programs are allowed to do.
29
nounUK
A metal band put on a bird's leg so scientists can track it.
30
noun
A metal band on an audio plug, between its tip and its base.
31
noun
The anus, or the muscles and passage just inside it.
32
noun
An old metal ring with a small hole, used to measure how high the sun is.
33
noun
A band around a fern's spore case that helps it open.
34
noundated
A group of websites on one topic linked in a circle.
35
noun
The place at a horse race where people make bets.
36
noun
A small circle mark written above or below a letter.
37
noun
An old English unit for measuring grain, equal to four bushels.
The ring is common in the Huntingdonshire accounts of Ramsey Abbey. It was equal to half a quarter, i.e., is identical with the coomb of the eastern counties
1866, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England
38
noun
A metal clamp that keeps a gun's scope in place.
39
noun
The 25th card in a Lenormand fortune-telling deck.
40
noun
A computer network where the machines are joined in a circle.
41
verb
To cut the bark in a circle around a tree to kill it.
42
verb
Of a bird, to fly up in circles.
43
verb
To steal a car, give it fake plates and papers, and sell it.
44
verbAustralia
To ride around animals so they stay in one place, or to work herding or gathering cattle.
45
verb
To play tunes or patterns on a set of bells.
46
noun
A math system like a ring, but one that need not have anything acting like 1.
47
noun
A group of sets in math where joining or subtracting two always gives a set in the group.
48
noun
A group of sets in math where the join or overlap of any two is in the group.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of ring apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–2, 4, 6–7, 11–15, 17–18, 21–22, 24–25

From Old English hring, meaning "ring" or "circle," from an old Germanic word.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Ring derives from Old English hring, meaning ring or circle. en.wiktionary.org
Old English hring derives from an earlier Germanic word. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 3, 5, 8–10, 16, 19–20, 23, 26

From Old English hringan, meaning "to ring." The word imitates the sound.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Ring derives from Old English hringan, meaning “to ring”. en.wiktionary.org
The word has a sound-imitative origin. en.wiktionary.org