zing
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A brief high-pitched buzzing or humming sound.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
zingIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈzɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A brief high-pitched buzzing or humming sound
“The zing of the passing bullet.”
A short high-pitched humming sound, such as that made by a bullet or vibrating string.
slang
A witty insult or derogatory remark.
uncountable
Zest or vitality.
uncountableslang
Pleasant or exciting flavour of food.
verb
intransitive
To move very quickly, especially while making a high-pitched hum.
transitiveslang
To address a witty insult or comeback to.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A brief high-pitched buzzing or humming sound
Used this way, zing is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The zing of the passing bullet.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “zing of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: zing of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.