- [countable] a piece of jewellery that you wear on your finger, consisting of a round band of gold, silver, etc., sometimes decorated with precious stones
- a gold ring
- a diamond ring (= a ring with a diamond on it)
- He was wearing a ring on his middle finger.
- Her mother gave her a beautiful ring.
Extra ExamplesTopics Clothes and Fashiona2, Life stagesa2- He slipped the ring on her finger.
- I pulled the small ring box out of my pocket.
- They exchange rings and wedding vows.
- She kissed the great ring of the archbishop of Chicago.
- He has earned three Super Bowl rings in the last four years.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- engagement
- eternity
- promise
- …
- have on
- sport
- wear
- …
- finger
- box
- [countable] an object in the shape of a circle with a large hole in the middle
- a key ring
- curtain rings
- the rings of Saturn
- The villagers were literally surrounded by a ring of fire.
Extra Examples- a plate of onion rings
- His right ear sported a gold ring.
- He can blow smoke rings.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- inner
- innermost
- outer
- …
- form
- stand in
- ring of
- in a/the ring
- [countable] a round mark or shape
- She had dark rings around her eyes from lack of sleep.
- The children sat on the floor in a ring.
- The army formed a protective ring around the presidential palace.
Extra ExamplesTopics Plants and treesb1- The children formed a ring around their teacher.
- The street plan of the city has evolved as a series of concentric rings.
- He had dark rings around his eyes.
- She drew a neat blue ring around the phone number.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- inner
- innermost
- outer
- …
- form
- stand in
- ring of
- in a/the ring
- [countable] an area in which animals or people perform or compete, with seats around the outside for the audience
- a boxing ring
- a circus ring
- The next competitor rode into the ring.
Extra ExamplesTopics Sports: other sportsc1- He entered the ring wearing his usual outfit.
- He was back in the ring only a month after the injury.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- boxing
- bull
- circus
- …
- enter
- leave
- in the ring
- into the ring
- retire from the ring
- [countable] (especially British English) a small flat place on a cooker that is heated by gas or electricity and is used for cooking on synonym burner
- to turn off the gas ring
- I put the saucepan on the ring.
- [countable] a group of people who are working together, especially in secret or illegally
- a spy ring
- a drugs ring
Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmentc2- The four men are accused of running a drug smuggling ring.
- Customs officials have broken up a major drug ring.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- drug
- drugs
- money-laundering
- …
- be involved in
- break up
- bust
- …
jewellery
circle
for performance/competition
for cooking
group of people
Word OriginOld English hring, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ring, German Ring, also to the noun rank.
Idioms
See ring in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee ring in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishthe brass ring
- (North American English, informal) the opportunity to be successful; success that you have worked hard to get
- The girls' outdoor track team has grabbed the brass ring seven times.
run rings around/round somebody
- (informal) to be much better at doing something than somebody else
- I used to beat my son at chess but now he runs rings around me.
throw your hat into the ring
- to announce officially that you are going to compete in an election, a competition, etc.
Check pronunciation:
ring1