noun, verb, ringed, ring⋅ing.| 1. | a typically circular band of metal or other durable material, esp. 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. |
| 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. |
| 30. | to form a ring or rings. |
| 31. | to move in a ring or a constantly curving course: The road rings around the mountain. |
| 32. | run rings around, to be obviously superior to; surpass; outdo: As an artist, she can run rings around her brother. |
| 33. | throw or toss one's hat in or into the ring. hat (def. 8). |
verb, rang, rung, ring⋅ing, noun | 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, esp. as a summons: Just ring if you need anything. |
| 4. | to sound loudly; be loud or resonant; resound (often fol. 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 21. | ring in,
|
| 22. | ring off,
|
| 23. | ring out,
|
| 24. | ring up,
|
| 25. | ring a bell. bell 1 (def. 14). |
| 26. | ring down the curtain,
|
| 27. | ring down the curtain on, to bring to an end: The accident rang down the curtain on his law career. |
| 28. | ring the bell. bell 1 (def. 15). |
| 29. | ring the changes. change (def. 38). |
| 30. | ring up the curtain,
|
| 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. |

| a metallic ring, usually one of a series, and split so as to be expansible, placed around a piston in order to maintain a tight fit, as inside the cylinder of an engine. |
ring 1 (rĭng) n.
v. tr.
[Middle English, from Old English hring; see sker-2 in Indo-European roots.] |
r
Used in the dividend column of stock transaction tables in newspapers to indicate the amount of dividends declared or paid in the preceding 12 months plus a stock dividend: PE Cp .25r.
Used in mutual fund transaction tables in newspapers to indicate funds that levy a deferred sales charge when shares are sold: IDS Inc r.
Used in bond transaction tables in newspapers to indicate a registered security. Although most bonds are registered, this symbol is used when a distinction is necessary, as when a bond trades in registered and in bearer form: NoPac 3.47r.
R abbr.
radical (usually an alkyl or aryl group)
respiration
respiratory exchange ratio
or r roentgen
ring (rĭng)
n.
A circular object, form, or arrangement with a vacant circular center.
The area between two concentric circles; annulus.
A group of atoms linked by bonds that may be represented graphically in circular or triangular form.
Ring
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.
ring
In addition to the idioms beginning with ring, also see brass ring; give someone a ring; have a familiar ring; run rings around; three-ring circus; throw one's hat in the ring.