26984 words

ring

28 definitions • 49 examples
1
a circle of any material, or any group of things or people in a circular shape or arrangement:

Examples:

The children sat in a ring around the teacher.
2

Examples:

He bought her a diamond/emerald, etc. ring (= a ring with a jewel attached to it).
3
a group of people who help each other, often secretly and in a way that is to their advantage:

Examples:

a drug ring
a spy ring
4
a circular piece of material often made of metal that can be heated in order to be used for cooking:

Examples:

a gas ring
an electric ring
5
a special area where people perform or compete:

Examples:

a boxing ring
The horses trotted round the ring.
6
two round handles at the ends of two long ropes that hang from the ceiling and are used in gymnastics:

Examples:

Sadly, he injured his left shoulder badly while performing on the rings.
7
the act of making a phone call to someone:

Examples:

give someone a ring I'll give you a ring tomorrow.
8
the sound a bell makes:

Examples:

There was a ring at the door.
He gave a ring at the door.
9
to make a phone call to someone:

Examples:

I ring home once a week to tell my parents I'm okay.
ring for There's been an accident - can you ring for an ambulance?
ring (in) The boss rang (in) to say he'll be back at 4.30.
ring round UK I rang round the airlines (= called many of them) to find out the cheapest price.
ring (up) Why don't you ring (up) Simon and ask him to the party?
10
to (cause to) make the sound of a bell:

Examples:

The doorbell/phone rang.
Anne's alarm clock rang for half an hour before she woke.
I rang the bell but nobody came to the door.
My head is/My ears are still ringing (= are full of a ringing noise) from the sound of the military band.
11
to surround something:

Examples:

Armed police ringed the hijacked plane.
be ringed by/with The harbour is dangerous - it's ringed by/with rocks and reefs.
12
to draw a circle around something:

Examples:

Students should ring the correct answers in pencil.
13
to put a ring on something, especially an animal:

Examples:

We ringed the birds (= put rings around their legs) so that we could identify them later.
14

Examples:

a gold wedding ring
15
A ring is also any group of things or people in a circular shape or arrangement:

Examples:

a key ring
A ring of people joined hands in the dance.
16
A ring is also the small pieces of matter that circle around a planet.
17
a space where people perform or compete that is separated from, and usually at the center of, the space where people can watch the event:

Examples:

a boxing ring
a one-ring/three-ring circus
18
a group of people who work together, often secretly in criminal activities:

Examples:

a spy ring
19
a telephone call:

Examples:

I’ll give Sophia a ring.
20
to make a sound, esp. the sound made when metal is hit, or to cause a bell to make a sound:

Examples:

[ I ] The telephone rang.
[ T ] I rang the doorbell but nobody answered.
[ I ] My ears are ringing (= I hear a noise that is not really there).
21
to surround something:

Examples:

The island is ringed with rocks.
22
to call someone on the phone:

Examples:

If he's out of the office, ring his mobile.
I rang a few stockbrokers to see what they would recommend.
When someone rings up, we can make provisional approval for a loan within five minutes.
ring (sb) about/for sth The price of insurance can depend on when you ring for a quote.
23
if a phone rings, it makes a sound because someone is calling:

Examples:

The phone was ringing.
My phone didn't ring all morning.
24
used to describe a situation in which there are a lot of sales or a big profit is being made:

Examples:

Consumers are ringing cash registers at a steady pace, incomes are on the rise, and exports are rocketing.
25
if a phone is ringing off the hook, it rings a lot of times:

Examples:

His phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from people who want him to do work for them.
26
a group of people working together illegally:

Examples:

27
the part of a stock exchange or commodity exchange (= place where oil, metal, grain, coffee, etc. are traded) where the buying and selling takes place:

Examples:

Some commodity markets still have a trading floor or ring.
28
to call someone on the phone:

Examples:

If we can be of any further assistance please give us a ring.

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