zing

[ zing ]
See synonyms for zing on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. vitality, animation, or zest.

  2. a quality or characteristic that excites the interest, enthusiasm, etc.: a tourist town with lots of zing.

  1. a sharp singing or whining noise, as of a bullet passing through the air.

verb (used without object)
  1. to move or proceed with a sharp singing or whining noise: The cars zinged down the highway.

  2. to move or proceed with speed or vitality; zip.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cause to move with or as with a sharp, singing or whining noise: The pitcher zinged a slider right over the plate.

  2. Slang. to blame or criticize severely: City Hall always gets zinged when crime increases.

Origin of zing

1
First recorded in 1910–15; imitative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use zing in a sentence

  • How wil un ever baide aboard zhip, wi' the watter zinging out under un, and comin' up splash when the wind blow.

    Lorna Doone | R. D. Blackmore
  • He went out to where his followers made grisly zinging noises where they honed their knives.

    The Pirates of Ersatz | Murray Leinster
  • They was enough of them zinging around over the ring to make it look like it was floodlighted.

British Dictionary definitions for zing

zing

/ (zɪŋ) /


nouninformal
  1. a short high-pitched buzzing sound, as of a bullet or vibrating string

  2. vitality; zest

verb
  1. (intr) to make or move with or as if with a high-pitched buzzing sound

Origin of zing

1
C20: of imitative origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012