ring1

[ring] /rɪŋ/
noun
1.
a typically circular band of metal or other durable material, especially one of gold or other precious metal, often set with gems, for wearing on the finger as an ornament, a token of betrothal or marriage, etc.
2.
anything having the form of such a band:
a napkin ring; a smoke ring.
3.
a circular or surrounding line or mark:
dark rings around the eyes.
4.
a circular course:
to dance in a ring.
5.
a number of persons or things situated in a circle or in an approximately circular arrangement:
a ring of stones; a ring of hills.
6.
the outside edge of a circular body, as a wheel; rim.
7.
an enclosed area, often circular, as for a sports contest or exhibition:
a circus ring.
8.
a bullring.
9.
an enclosure in which boxing and wrestling matches take place, usually consisting of a square, canvas-covered platform with surrounding ropes that are supported at each corner by posts.
10.
the sport of boxing; prizefighting:
the heyday of the ring.
11.
(formerly in the U.S., now only in Brit.) an area in a racetrack where bookmakers take bets.
12.
a group of persons cooperating for unethical, illicit, or illegal purposes, as to control stock-market prices, manipulate politicians, or elude the law:
a ring of dope smugglers.
13.
a single turn in a spiral or helix or in a spiral course.
14.
Geometry. the area or space between two concentric circles.
15.
annual ring.
16.
a circle of bark cut from around a tree.
17.
Chemistry. a number of atoms so united that they may be graphically represented in cyclic form.
Compare chain (def 7).
18.
Architecture, rowlock (def 1).
19.
a bowlike or circular piece at the top of an anchor, to which the chain or cable is secured.
20.
Also called spinning ring. Textiles. (in the ring-spinning frame) a circular track of highly polished steel on which the traveler moves and which imparts twists to the yarn by variations in its vertical movement.
21.
a unit of measurement of the diameter of cigars, equal to 1/64 of an inch.
Also called ring gauge.
22.
Automotive, Machinery, piston ring.
23.
Mathematics. a set that is closed under the operations of addition and multiplication and that is an Abelian group with respect to addition and an associative semigroup with respect to multiplication and in which the distributive laws relating the two operations hold.
verb (used with object), ringed, ringing.
24.
to surround with a ring; encircle.
25.
to form into a ring.
26.
to insert a ring through the nose of (an animal).
27.
to hem in (animals) by riding or circling about them.
28.
to girdle (def 11).
29.
(in horseshoes, ringtoss, etc.) to encircle (a stake or peg) with a ring, horseshoe, etc.
verb (used without object), ringed, ringing.
30.
to form a ring or rings.
31.
to move in a ring or a constantly curving course:
The road rings around the mountain.
Idioms
32.
run rings around, to be obviously superior to; surpass; outdo:
As an artist, she can run rings around her brother.
33.
throw / toss one's hat in / into the ring. hat (def 8).
Origin
before 900; Middle English; Old English hring; cognate with Dutch, German ring, Old Norse hringr; akin to rank1
Related forms
ringless, adjective
ringlike, adjective
Synonyms
2. circle, circlet, hoop; annulus. 7. arena, rink, circle. 12. bloc, coterie, confederacy, league; gang, mob, syndicate. Ring, clique are terms applied with disapproving connotations to groups of persons. Ring suggests a small and intimately related group, combined for selfish and often dishonest purposes: a gambling ring. A clique is a small group that prides itself on its congeniality and exclusiveness: cliques in a school.

ring2

[ring] /rɪŋ/
verb (used without object), rang, rung, ringing.
1.
to give forth a clear resonant sound, as a bell when struck:
The doorbell rang twice.
2.
to make a given impression on the mind; appear:
words that rang false; a story that rings true.
3.
to cause a bell or bells to sound, especially as a summons:
Just ring if you need anything.
4.
to sound loudly; be loud or resonant; resound (often followed by out):
His brave words rang out.
5.
to be filled with sound; reecho with sound, as a place.
6.
(of the ears) to have the sensation of a continued humming sound.
7.
Chiefly British. to telephone.
verb (used with object), rang, rung, ringing.
8.
to cause (a bell or device with a bell) to ring; sound by striking:
to ring a bell.
9.
to produce (sound) by or as if by ringing:
The bell rang a low tone.
10.
to announce or proclaim, usher in or out, summon, signal, etc., by or as if by the sound of a bell:
to ring someone's praises; The bell rang the hour.
11.
to test (a coin or other metal object) by the sound it produces when struck against something.
12.
Chiefly British. to telephone.
noun
13.
a ringing sound, as of a bell or bells:
the ring of sleigh bells.
14.
a sound or tone likened to the ringing of a bell:
Rings of laughter issued from the school.
15.
any loud sound; sound continued, repeated, or reverberated:
the ring of iron upon stone.
16.
a set or peal of bells.
17.
a telephone call:
Give me a ring tomorrow.
18.
an act or instance of ringing a bell:
No one answered my ring.
19.
a characteristic sound, as of a coin.
20.
the aspect or impression presented by a statement, an action, etc., taken as revealing a specified inherent quality:
a ring of assurance in her voice; the ring of truth; a false ring.
Verb phrases
21.
ring in,
  1. to indicate one's arrival at work by punching in on a time clock.
  2. Informal. to introduce artfully or fraudulently:
    to ring in an imposter.
22.
ring off,
  1. to terminate a telephone conversation.
  2. British Slang. to stop talking.
  3. British Slang. to go away.
23.
ring out,
  1. to indicate one's departure from work by punching out on a time clock.
  2. to make a sound or noise; resound:
    The church bells rang out.
24.
ring up,
  1. to register (the amount of a sale) on a cash register.
  2. to accomplish or record:
    to ring up a series of successes.
  3. Chiefly British. to telephone.
Idioms
25.
ring a bell. bell1 (def 15).
26.
ring down the curtain,
  1. to direct that the curtain of a theater be lowered or closed.
  2. to lower or close the curtain in front of a stage.
27.
ring down the curtain on, to bring to an end:
The accident rang down the curtain on his law career.
28.
ring the / someone's bell. bell1 (def 16).
29.
ring the changes. change (def 38).
30.
ring up the curtain,
  1. to direct that the curtain of a theater be raised or opened.
  2. to raise or open the curtain in front of a stage.
31.
ring up the curtain on, to begin; inaugurate; initiate:
The $100-a-plate dinner rang up the curtain on the hospital's fund-raising drive.
Origin
before 900; Middle English ringen, Old English hringan; cognate with Old Norse hringja, German ringen
Related forms
ringingly, adverb
ringingness, noun
Synonyms
20. sound, tone, quality.

Ring

[ring] /rɪŋ/
noun
1.
a male given name.

R

[ahr] /ɑr/
verb
1.
Informal. are :
Oysters R in season.
Examples from the web for ring
  • The cardinal chamberlain then retrieves the ring of the fisherman.
  • In other cases the ring might have been removed for medical reasons.
  • The chamberlain cuts the ring in two in the presence of the cardinals.
  • ring of the fisherman, a gold ring decorated with a depiction of st.
  • Red, liver, or brindle are objectionable and disqualifying faults in the show ring.
  • Originally mounted on a pole beside the dockyard gate, was used to ring out navy time.
  • If they make an arc or a ring, they continuously grow about the center of this object.
  • There are two generally recognised types of fairy ring fungus.
  • Freedom from a fairy ring often requires outside intervention.
  • The man destroyed a nest of rooks in a tree surrounded by a fairy ring.
British Dictionary definitions for ring

ring1

/rɪŋ/
noun
1.
a circular band usually of a precious metal, esp gold, often set with gems and worn upon the finger as an adornment or as a token of engagement or marriage
2.
any object or mark that is circular in shape
3.
a circular path or course: to run around in a ring
4.
a group of people or things standing or arranged so as to form a circle: a ring of spectators
5.
an enclosed space, usually circular in shape, where circus acts are performed
6.
a square apron or raised platform, marked off by ropes, in which contestants box or wrestle
7.
the ring, the sport of boxing
8.
the field of competition or rivalry
9.
throw one's hat in the ring, to announce one's intention to be a candidate or contestant
10.
a group of people usually operating illegally and covertly: a drug ring, a paedophile ring
11.
(esp at country fairs) an enclosure, often circular, where horses, cattle, and other livestock are paraded and auctioned
12.
an area reserved for betting at a racecourse
13.
a circular strip of bark cut from a tree or branch, esp in order to kill it
14.
a single turn in a spiral
15.
(geometry) the area of space lying between two concentric circles
16.
(maths) a set that is subject to two binary operations, addition and multiplication, such that the set is an Abelian group under addition and is closed under multiplication, this latter operation being associative
17.
(botany) short for annual ring
18.
(chem) Also called closed chain. a closed loop of atoms in a molecule
19.
(astronomy) any of the thin circular bands of small bodies orbiting a giant planet, esp Saturn See also Saturn2 (sense 1)
20.
(informal) run rings around, to be greatly superior to; outclass completely
verb (transitive) rings, ringing, ringed
21.
to surround with or as if with or form a ring; encircle
22.
to mark (a bird) with a ring or clip for subsequent identification
23.
to fit a ring in the nose of (a bull, pig, etc) so that it can be led easily
24.
Also ringbark
  1. to cut away a circular strip of bark from (a tree or branch) in order to kill it
  2. to cut a narrow or partial ring from (the trunk of a tree) in order to check or prevent vigorous growth
25.
(Austral & NZ) to be the fastest shearer in a shearing shed (esp in the phrase ring the shed)
Word Origin
Old English hring; related to Old Norse hringr

ring2

/rɪŋ/
verb rings, ringing, rang, rung
1.
to emit or cause to emit a sonorous or resonant sound, characteristic of certain metals when struck
2.
to cause (a bell) to emit a ringing sound by striking it once or repeatedly or (of a bell) to emit such a sound
3.
  1. (transitive) to cause (a large bell, esp a church bell) to emit a ringing sound by pulling on a rope that is attached to a wheel on which the bell swings back and forth, being sounded by a clapper inside it Compare chime1 (sense 6)
  2. (intransitive) (of a bell) to sound by being swung in this way
4.
(intransitive) (of a building, place, etc) to be filled with sound; echo: the church rang with singing
5.
(intransitive) foll by for. to call by means of a bell, buzzer, etc: to ring for the butler
6.
(mainly Brit) Also ring up. to call (a person) by telephone
7.
(transitive) to strike or tap (a coin) in order to assess its genuineness by the sound produced
8.
(intransitive) (of the ears) to have or give the sensation of humming or ringing
9.
(intransitive) (electronics) (of an electric circuit) to produce a damped oscillatory wave after the application of a sharp input transition
10.
(slang) to change the identity of (a stolen vehicle) by using the licence plate, serial number, etc, of another, usually disused, vehicle
11.
ring a bell, to sound familiar; remind one of something, esp indistinctly
12.
ring down the curtain
  1. to lower the curtain at the end of a theatrical performance
  2. (foll by on) to put an end (to)
13.
ring false, to give the impression of being false
14.
ring the bell
  1. to do, say, or be the right thing
  2. to reach the pinnacle of success or happiness
15.
ring the changes, to vary the manner or performance of an action that is often repeated
16.
ring true, to give the impression of being true: that story doesn't ring true
noun
17.
the act of or a sound made by ringing
18.
a sound produced by or suggestive of a bell
19.
any resonant or metallic sound, esp one sustained or re-echoed: the ring of trumpets
20.
(informal, mainly Brit) a telephone call: he gave her a ring last night
21.
the complete set of bells in a tower or belfry: a ring of eight bells See peal1 (sense 3)
22.
an inherent quality or characteristic: his explanation has the ring of sincerity
23.
(electronics) the damped oscillatory wave produced by a circuit that rings
See also ring back, ring in, ring off, ring out, ring up
Usage note
Rang and sang are the correct forms of the past tenses of ring and sing, although rung and sung are still heard informally and dialectally: he rung (rang) the bell
Word Origin
Old English hringan; related to Old High German hringen Old Norse hringja

r

/ɑː/
noun (pl) r's, R's, Rs
1.
the 18th letter and 14th consonant of the modern English alphabet
2.
a speech sound represented by this letter, in English usually an alveolar semivowel, as in red
3.
See three Rs

R

symbol
1.
(chem) radical
2.
(currency)
  1. rand
  2. rupee
3.
Réaumur temperature (scale)
4.
(physics, electronics) resistance
5.
roentgen or röntgen
6.
(chess) rook
7.
Royal
8.
(chem) gas constant
9.
(in the US and Australia)
  1. restricted exhibition (used to describe a category of film certified as unsuitable for viewing by anyone under the age of 18)
  2. (as modifier): an R film
Word Origin and History for ring
n.

"circular band," Old English hring "small circlet, especially one of metal for wearing on the finger or as part of a mail coat; anything circular," from Proto-Germanic *khrengaz (cf. Old Norse hringr, Old Frisian hring, Danish, Swedish, Dutch ring, Old High German hring, German Ring), literally "something curved," from PIE *skrengh- nasalized form of (s)kregh-, from root *(s)ker- "to turn, bend," with wide-ranging derivative senses (cf. Latin curvus "bent, curved," crispus "curly;" Old Church Slavonic kragu "circle," and perhaps Greek kirkos "ring," koronos "curved").

Other Old English senses were "circular group of persons," also "horizon." Meaning "place for prize fight and wrestling bouts" (early 14c.) is from the space in a circle of bystanders in the midst of which such contests once were held, "... a circle formed for boxers, wrestlers, and cudgel players, by a man styled Vinegar; who, with his hat before his eyes, goes round the circle, striking at random with his whip to prevent the populace from crowding in" [Grose, 1788]. Meaning "combination of interested persons" is from 1829. Of trees, from 1670s; fairy ring is from 1620s. Ring finger is Old English hringfingr, a compound found in other Germanic languages. To run rings round (someone) "be superior to" is from 1891.

Nursery rhyme ring a ring a rosie is attested in an American form (with a different ending) from c.1790. "The belief that the rhyme originated with the Great Plague is now almost universal, but has no evidence to support it and is almost certainly nonsense" ["Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore"]. This proposal of connection dates only to the late 1960s.

1540s, "set of church bells," from ring (v.1). Meaning "a call on the telephone" is from 1900; to give (someone) a ring "call on the telephone" was in use by 1910. Meaning "a ringing tone" is from 1620s; specifically "the ringing sound made by a telephone" by 1951. Meaning "resonance of coin or glass as a test of genuineness" is from 1850, with transferred use (ring of truth, etc.).

v.

"sound a bell," Old English hringan "sound, give a certain resonant sound when struck; announce by bells," from Proto-Germanic *khrenganan (cf. Old Norse hringja, Swedish ringa, Middle Dutch ringen), probably of imitative origin. Related: Rang; rung. Originally a weak verb, strong inflexion began in early Middle English by influence of sing, etc. To ring down a theatrical curtain is from 1772, from the custom of signaling for it by ringing a bell. To ring up a purchase on a cash register is by 1937, from the bell that sounded. Specialized sense "give a resonant sound when struck as an indication of genuineness or purity," with transferred use (e.g. to ring hollow) is from 1610s.

"make a circle around," Old English ymbhringan, from the root of ring (n.1). Intransitive sense "gather in a ring" is mid-15c. Sense of "provide or attach a ring" is late 14c. Meaning "move in a circle around" is from 1825. Related: Ringed; ringing. Cf. Frisian ringje, Middle Dutch and Dutch ringen, Old High German ringan, German ringen, Old Norse hringa, hringja.

R

In a circle, meaning "registered (trademark)," first incorporated in U.S. statues 1946. Three Rs (1825) said to have been given as a toast by Sir W. Curtis (1752-1829). R&R "rest and relaxation," first recorded 1953, American English; R&B "rhythm and blues" (type of popular music) first attested 1949, American English.

If all our r's that are written are pronounced, the sound is more common than any other in English utterance (over seven per cent.); the instances of occurrence before a vowel, and so of universal pronunciation, are only half as frequent. There are localities where the normal vibration of the tip of the tongue is replaced by one of the uvula, making a guttural trill, which is still more entitled to the name of "dog's letter" than is the ordinary r; such are considerable parts of France and Germany; the sound appears to occur only sporadically in English pronunciation. [Century Dictionary]


The moment we encounter the added r's of purp or dorg in our reading we know that we have to do with humor, and so with school-marm. The added consonants are supposed to be spoken, if the words are uttered, but, as a matter of fact, they are less often uttered than seen. The words are, indeed, largely visual forms; the humor is chiefly for the eye. [Louise Pound, "The Humorous 'R,'" "American Mercury," October 1924]
She goes on to note that in British humorous writing, -ar "popularly indicates the sound of the vowel in father" and formations like larf (for laugh) "are to be read with the broad vowel but no uttered r." She also quotes Henry James on the characteristic prominence of the medial -r- sound (which tends to be dropped in England and New England) in the speech of the U.S. Midwest, "under some strange impulse received toward consonantal recovery of balance, making it present even in words from which it is absent, bringing it in everywhere as with the small vulgar effect of a sort of morose grinding of the back teeth."

ring in Medicine

r abbr.
racemic

R abbr.

  1. radical (usually an alkyl or aryl group)

  2. respiration

  3. respiratory exchange ratio

  4. or r roentgen

ring (rĭng)
n.

  1. A circular object, form, or arrangement with a vacant circular center.

  2. The area between two concentric circles; annulus.

  3. A group of atoms linked by bonds that may be represented graphically in circular or triangular form.

ring in Science
r  
Abbreviation of radius
R  
The symbol for resistance.
ring
  (rĭng)   

  1. A set of elements subject to the operations of addition and multiplication, in which the set is an abelian group under addition and associative under multiplication and in which the two operations are related by distributive laws.

  2. A group of atoms linked by bonds that may be represented graphically in circular or triangular form. Benzene, for example, contains a ring of six carbon atoms. All cyclic compounds contain one or more rings. See annulus.

  3. See growth ring.


Slang definitions & phrases for ring

ring

verb
  1. To substitute one horse illegally for another in a race: to attempt ringing (1812+ Horse racing)
  2. (also ring up) To call on the telephone; GIVE someone A RING: I rang him the next day, but he was out (1940s+, variant 1880+)
Related Terms

throw one's hat in the ring


Related Abbreviations for ring

r

  1. correlation coefficient
  2. radius
  3. resistance

R

  1. gas constant
  2. radical
  3. rain
  4. range
  5. Réaumur
  6. receiver
  7. registered trademark
  8. Republican
  9. response
  10. restricted (children under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)
  11. right
  12. roentgen
  13. rook
  14. run
ring in the Bible

Used as an ornament to decorate the fingers, arms, wrists, and also the ears and the nose. Rings were used as a signet (Gen. 38:18). They were given as a token of investment with authority (Gen. 41:42; Esther 3:8-10; 8:2), and of favour and dignity (Luke 15:22). They were generally worn by rich men (James 2:2). They are mentioned by Isiah (3:21) among the adornments of Hebrew women.

Idioms and Phrases with ring

ring

also see:

R

see: three R's
Encyclopedia Article for ring

R

unit of X-radiation or gamma radiation, the amount that will produce, under normal conditions of pressure, temperature, and humidity, in 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of air, an amount of positive or negative ionization equal to 2.58104 coulomb. It is named for the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen. See also rem.

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