ring

ring

ring¹ [riŋ]

vi.

rang or Now Chiefly Dial. rung, rung, ringing [ME ringen < OE hringan < IE echoic base * ker- > RAVEN¹, CREAK, L corvus, crow]

1. to give forth a clear, resonant sound when struck or otherwise caused to vibrate, as a bell

2. to produce, as by sounding, a specified impression on the hearer [promises that ring false]

3. to cause a bell or bells to sound, esp. as a summons [to ring for a maid]

4. to sound loudly or be full of sound; be resonant; resound [the room rang with laughter]

5. to have a sensation as of ringing, humming, etc.: said of the ears or head

vt.

1. to cause (a bell, etc.) to ring

2. to sound (a peal, knell, etc.) by or as by ringing a bell or bells

3. to signal, proclaim, announce, summon, etc. by or as by ringing [chimes rang the hours]

4. to test (coins, etc.) by the sound produced in striking on something hard

5. Chiefly Brit. to call by telephone: often with up

6. Slang to substitute (originally a racehorse) fraudulently: often with in

n.

1. the sound of a bell

2.

a) any similar sound [the ring of laughter]

b) any loud sound, esp. when repeated, continued, or reverberated

3. the characteristic sound or impression (of some feeling) [the ring of sincerity]

4. a set of bells

5. the act of ringing a bell, etc.

6. a telephone call: chiefly in give someone a ring, to telephone someone

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ring a bell

☆ to stir up a memory; sound familiar

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ring down the curtain

1. to signal for a theater curtain to be lowered

2. to end something

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ring in or ring out

1. to punch in (or out): see PUNCH²

2. to usher in (or out)

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ring off

[Chiefly Brit.] to end a telephone call; hang up

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☆ ring the bell

Informal to achieve a success: originally in allusion to hitting the bull's-eye and so causing a bell to ring in target shooting

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ring up

☆ to record or enter (a specified amount) on a cash register

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ring up the curtain

1. to signal for a theater curtain to be raised

2. to begin something

ring² [riŋ]

n.

[ME < OE hring, akin to OHG, ON hringr, Du ring, Goth * hrings < IE * (s)krengh- < base * (s)ker-, to turn, bend > Gr kirkos, ring, L cortina, round vessel]

1. a small, circular band of metal, etc., esp. of precious metal, often set with gems, for wearing on the finger as an ornament or a symbol of betrothal, marriage, etc.

2. any similar band, as of metal, plastic, etc., used for some special purpose [a key ring, a napkin ring]

3. a circular line, mark, or figure

4. the outer edge or border of something circular; rim, as of a wheel

5. a circular cut made, or a circle of bark cut from, around the trunk or a branch of a tree

6. ANNUAL RING

7. any of the turns in a helix or spiral

8. a circular course, as in dancing

9. a number of people or things grouped in a circle

☆ 10. a group of people working together to advance their own interests, esp. by questionable or illegal manipulation and control, as in business, politics, etc.

11. an enclosed area, often circular, for contests, exhibitions, etc. [a circus ring]

12.

a) an enclosure, now usually a square, canvas-covered area set off by stakes and ropes, in which boxing and wrestling matches are held

b) the sport or profession of boxing; prizefighting: with the

c) [pl.] Gym. two wooden rings suspended from a ceiling, used for acrobatic feats and routines: usually with the

d) [pl.] Gym. a competitive event in which the rings are used: usually with the

13. a contest or competition, esp. a political one, as in throw one's hat into the ring: see phrase at HAT

14. Astron. a flat, thin, reflective band of orbiting particles, probably ice crystals and dust, encircling a planet, as Saturn or Uranus, along its equatorial plane at altitudes below the Roche limit

15. Chem. CLOSED CHAIN

16. Geom. the space between two concentric circles

17. Math. a set of elements that has two operations, addition and multiplication, and the properties of being a commutative group under addition, of being closed and associative under multiplication and addition, and in which multiplication is distributive over addition

vt.

ringed, ringing

1. to surround or encircle with or as with a ring

2. to form into a ring or rings

3. to furnish with a ring or rings

4. to put a ring through the nose of (an animal), as to prevent rooting or fighting

5. to circle about and so hem in (animals)

6. in some games, to toss a ring, horseshoe, quoit, etc. so that it encircles (a peg)

7. to girdle (a tree)

vi.

1. to form in a ring or rings

2. to move in a circular or curving course; run, fly, etc. in circles or spirals

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run rings around Informal

1. to run much faster than

2. to excel greatly