- a person or thing that rings a bell
- Also called: dead ringer slang a person or thing that is almost identical to another
- slang a stolen vehicle the identity of which has been changed by the use of the licence plate, serial number, etc, of another, usually disused, vehicle
- US a contestant, esp a horse, entered in a competition under false representations of identity, record, or ability
- Austral NZ the fastest shearer in a shed
- Austral informal the fastest or best at anything
- a quoit thrown so as to encircle a peg
- such a throw
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ring•er1 /ˈrɪŋɚ/USA pronunciation
n.
ring•er2 /ˈrɪŋɚ/USA pronunciation n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- [countable]
- a person or thing that encircles something.
ring•er2 /ˈrɪŋɚ/USA pronunciation n. [countable]
- a person or thing that rings or makes a ringing noise.
- something or someone looking exactly like another.
- a racehorse or an athlete entering a competition under false pretenses.
ring•er1
(ring′ər),USA pronunciation n.
ring•er2 (ring′ər),USA pronunciation n.
- a person or thing that encircles, rings, etc.
- Slang Termsa quoit or horseshoe so thrown as to encircle the peg.
- Slang Termsthe throw itself.
- GamesAlso, ring′ers. Also called ring taw. [Marbles.]a game in which players place marbles in a cross marked in the center of a circle, the object being to knock as many marbles as possible outside the circle by using another marble shooter.
- British Terms[Australian.]a highly skilled sheep shearer.
- ring1 + -er1 1815–25
ring•er2 (ring′ər),USA pronunciation n.
- a person or thing that rings or makes a ringing noise:a ringer of bells; a bell that is a loud ringer.
- See dead ringer.
- [Slang.]
- a racehorse, athlete, or the like entered in a competition under false representation as to identity or ability.
- a student paid by another to take an exam.
- any person or thing that is fraudulent;
fake or impostor. - a substitute or addition, as a professional musician hired to strengthen a school orchestra:We hired three ringers for the commencement concert.
- 1375–1425; late Middle English; see ring2, -er1
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
ringer /ˈrɪŋə/ n
'ringer' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):