ding dong

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The sound of a bell, especially a doorbell, made of two notes.

   Grammar: Usually singular with the: the ding dong of the bell.

   Patterns

   • the ding dong of something

   The ding dong of the doorbell woke the dog.

   We heard the ding dong of the church bell at noon.

   She pressed the button and heard a cheerful ding dong.

2. 2nounsingularinformalBritish

   A noisy argument or fight between people.

   Grammar: Singular, used with a: they had a ding dong.

   Patterns

   • have a ding dong with someone

   The neighbors had a right ding dong over the fence.

   There was a ding dong in the pub last night.

   He had a ding dong with his boss about the schedule.

3. 3nouncountableinformalhumorous

   A silly or foolish person.

   Grammar: Informal and mild: he is a ding dong.

   Don't be such a ding dong; you forgot your keys again.

   My brother is a lovable ding dong.

   I felt like a ding dong after locking myself out.

Word forms

Common combinations

ring with a ding dong

The doorbell rang with a ding dong.

have a ding dong

The two of them had a ding dong about money.

a proper ding dong

It turned into a proper ding dong.

hear a ding dong

I heard a ding dong from the hall.

Synonyms and how they differ

chime

Chime is more musical and can suggest several notes, while ding dong names a simple two-note sound.

row

Row means a noisy argument and is neutral British usage, while ding dong is more playful.

fool

Fool is stronger and less affectionate than the mild ding dong.

Word family

ding noun

a single ringing sound

dong noun

a deep ringing sound

ding-dong adjective

describing a closely contested match

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “ding dong”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words