- [countable] the sound that a bell makes; the act of ringing a bell
- There was a ring at the door.
- He gave a couple of loud rings on the doorbell.
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- [singular] a loud, clear sound
- the ring of horse’s hooves on the cobblestones
- [singular] ring (of something) a particular quality that words, sounds, etc. have
- His explanation has a ring of truth about it.
- Her protestation of innocence had a hollow ring to it (= did not sound sincere).
- The story had a familiar ring to it (= as if I had heard it before).
of bell
sound
quality
Word OriginOld English hringan, of Germanic origin, perhaps imitative.
Idioms
See ring in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee ring in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishgive somebody a ring
- (British English, informal) to make a phone call to somebody
- I'll give you a ring tomorrow.
- I'll give you a ring once I get home.
British/American phone / call / ringphone / call / ringVerbsTopics Phones, email and the internetb2- In British English, to phone, to ring and to call are the usual ways of saying to telephone. In North American English the most common word is call, but phone is also used. Speakers of North American English do not say ring. Telephone is formal and is used mainly in British English.
- You can use call or phone call (more formal) in both British English and North American English:
- Were there any phone calls for me?
- How do I make a local call?
- I’ll give you a call tonight.
- I’ll give you a ring tonight.
Check pronunciation:
ring2