ring Definition

ring¹
noun

1. A small circle or band of gold, silver or some other metal or material, worn on the finger.
2. A circle of metal, wood, plastic, etc, for holding, keeping in place, connecting, hanging, etc.
3. Any object, mark or figure which is circular in shape.

Thesaurus: enclosure, hoop, girdle, rim, halo, brim, collar, knot.
4. A circular course or route.

Thesaurus: circle, circuit, loop.
5. A group of people or things arranged in a circle.
6. An enclosed and usually circular area in which circus acts are performed.
7. A square area on a platform, marked off by ropes, where boxers or wrestlers fight.
8. Boxing as a profession.

Form: the ring
9. An enclosure for bookmakers at a race-course.
10. At agricultural shows, etc: an enclosure where cattle, horses, etc are paraded or exhibited for auction.
11. A group of people who act together to control eg an antiques or drugs market, betting, etc for their own advantage or profit.

Thesaurus: group, organization, party, faction, syndicate, bloc, monopoly, cartel, cabal, junta, gang, racket (slang).
12. A circular electric element or gas burner on top of a cooker.
13. A circular strip of bark cut from a tree. See ring-bark.
14. A circular mark, seen when a tree trunk is examined in section, that represents the amount of growth made by that tree in one year.
15. A segment of a worm, caterpillar, etc.
16. A circle of fungus growth in turf; a fairy ring.
17. chem.
A closed chain of atoms in a molecule, eg six-membered ring system.
18. geom.
The area lying between two concentric circles.
19. math.
A system of elements in which addition is associative and commutative, and multiplication is associative and distributive with respect to addition.
20. A thin band of particles orbiting some planets, such as Saturn and Uranus.
21. computing.
A computer system suitable for a LAN, with several micro-computers or peripheral devices connected by cable in a ring.

verb ringed, ringing

1. To make, form, draw, etc a ring round something, or to form it into a ring.

Thesaurus: encircle, surround, circumscribe, encompass, hem in, enclose, loop, gird, belt, confine.
2. To cut something into rings.
3. To put a ring on (a bird's leg) as a means of identifying it.
4. To fit a ring in (a bull's nose) so that it can be lead easily.
5. To ring-bark.

Derivative: ringed

Surrounded by, marked with, bearing or wearing a ring or rings.

Ring-shaped.

Made up of rings.

Idiom: make rings round someone (run rings round someone)

colloq
To beat them or be much better than them.
Thesaurus: outdo, outperform, surpass, beat, overtake, excel.

Idiom: throw one's hat into the ring

colloq
To offer oneself as a candidate or challenger.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon hring.

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ring²
verb rang, rung, ringing

1a. To sound (a bell) eg by striking it or by pulling a rope attached to it, often as a summons or to signal or announce something;
intr
1b. Said of a bell: to sound in this way.

Thesaurus: peal, chime, tinkle, jingle, clang, tintinnabulate, sound, resound, reverberate.
2a. To make (a metal object, etc) give a resonant bell-like sound by striking it;
intr
2b. Said of a metal object, etc: to sound in this way when struck.
intr
3. Said of a large building, etc: to resound; to be filled with a particular sound.

Example: The theatre rang with laughter and applause
intr
4. Said of a sound or noise: to resound; to re-echo.

Example: Applause rang through the theatre
Thesaurus: sound, resound, thunder, boom, reverberate.
intr
5. To make a sudden clear loud sound.

Example: shots rang out
Form: ring out (usually)
intr
6. To sound repeatedly; to resound.

Example: Her criticisms rang in his ears
intr
7. Said of the ears: to be filled with a buzzing, humming or ringing sensation or sound.
(chiefly Brit)
8. To call by telephone.

Form: ring someone up (also)
9. To ring a bell as a summons.

Form: ring for someone (usually)
intr
10. Said of words, etc: to give a specified impression, especially of being genuine or not.

Example: His promises ring false
Form: ring true (especially)
Form: ring false

noun

1. The act of ringing a bell.
2. The act or sound of ringing.
3. The clear resonant sound of a bell, or a similarly resonant sound.
(Brit)
4. A telephone call.
5. A suggestion or impression of a particular feeling or quality.

Example: a story with a ring of truth about it
6. A set of bells, each with a different note, especially in a church.

Example: St Nicholas has a ring of six

Derivative: ringing
noun, adj

Derivative: ringingly
adverb

Idiom: ring a bell

To bring to mind a vague memory of having been seen, heard, etc before.
Example: His name rings a bell

Idiom: ring the curtain down (ring the curtain up (on something))

To give the signal for lowering, or raising, the curtain.

colloq
To put an end to, or to begin, a project or undertaking.

Idiom: ring the changes

To vary the way something is done, used, said, etc.

To go through all the various orders possible when ringing a peal of church bells. See also change-ringing.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon hringan.

Phrasal Verb: ring someone back

To telephone them again, usually to follow up an initial call.To telephone a previous caller in response to their call.

Phrasal Verb: ring in

To make contact by telephone with someone.

Phrasal Verb: ring something in

To report (a piece of news, etc) by telephone.

Phrasal Verb: ring someone or something in or out

To announce their or its arrival or departure with, or as if with, bell-ringing.
Example: ring out the old year and ring in the new

Phrasal Verb: ring off

To end a telephone call by replacing the receiver; to hang up.

Phrasal Verb: ring something up

To record the price of an item sold on a cash register.