as in fool
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
some ding-a-ling set off the fire alarm by burning paper in a wastebasket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of ding-a-ling
Why portray Dorothy as a doe-eyed ding-a-ling; as not just naive but dumb?
—
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ding-a-ling
Noun
-
Sadly, OpenAI plays us for fools.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
-
For years, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been a wizard at designing blitzes that fool quarterbacks.—
Sam McDowell
February 5,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Beating these lunatics was incredible, right?—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
-
That Tomás, who has already survived the Great Hunger as well as a cruel workhouse, isn’t already a lunatic is perhaps less fantastical than the plot itself at times.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In one painfully funny sequence, a visiting gallerist (and gasbag) barely seems to care about her art, showing more interest in a goose’s nest that has materialized in an enclosure.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
And the plot is a high-drama, goose-bumpy ride that sits somewhere between Shakespearean and soap opera.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
However, unexpected and decidedly unwelcome guests keep turning up, including Beau’s brother, and a man who might be a homicidal maniac.—
Matthew J. Palm,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Not the fear of an actor out of her element, or the more mundane fear of a victim being chased around by an ax-wielding maniac.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In North Carolina, a juvenile was shot in the leg after a homeowner fired at a vehicle during a late-night ding-dong ditch-style prank, according to police.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Legal experts note people playing ding-dong ditch can also face charges, with offenses ranging from criminal trespass to disorderly conduct.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Dilbert principle — traced back to a quote in a 1995 strip — posited that managers and higher-ups are actually successful morons whose stubbornness is confused for real leadership qualities.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Overwhelmingly, though, the most common response was to seek confirmation of their suspicions that Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were morons.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Better for me the nuts-and-bolts march toward expertise.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
DeWitt's go-to options include nuts, Greek yogurt and apple slices with nut butter.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ding-a-ling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ding-a-ling. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
