ringer

1 of 2

noun (1)

ring·​er ˈriŋ-ər How to pronounce ringer (audio)
Synonyms of ringernext
1
: one that sounds especially by ringing
2
a(1)
: one that enters a competition under false representations
(2)
: imposter, fake
b
: one that strongly resembles another
—often used with dead
He's a dead ringer for his father.

ringer

2 of 2

noun (2)

: one that encircles or puts a ring around (such as a quoit or horseshoe that lodges so as to surround the peg)

Synonyms of ringer

Relevance

Noun (1)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of ringer in a Sentence

Noun (1) no one was more surprised than the defendant when his lawyer turned out to be a ringer he's a dead ringer for his grandfather
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The ringers, on the other hand, should be played in direct order of strength. — Dana MacKenzie, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026 After an unexpected elimination with Taylor Hanson, the Dancing With the Stars pro opens up about the Justice for Britt movement, meeting her husband on the show, whether the ringer is a myth, and why winning would mean more than a Mirrorball. — Perrie Samotin, Glamour, 13 Oct. 2026 Games like cornhole, ringer darts and Kubb — a lawn game involving teams tossing wooden blocks to knock over their opponents’ blocks — were set up on small turf patches. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2026 The cinema recently recreated a ringer tee Steve’s late mother wore in the early-1970s. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ringer

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ringer was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing ringer

Rhymes for ringer

See All Rhymes for ringer

Browse Nearby Words

ringent
ringer
Ringer's solution
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ringer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ringer. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

ringer

1 of 2 noun
ring·​er ˈriŋ-ər How to pronounce ringer (audio)
1
: one that sounds especially by ringing
2
a
: one that enters a competition with a false identity
b
: one that strongly resembles another
—often used with dead
a dead ringer for the senator

ringer

2 of 2 noun
: a quoit or horseshoe that falls right over a peg

More from Merriam-Webster on ringer

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ringer

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All