Added 8 October 2026
ping
/pɪŋ/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ping at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
A high-pitched, short and somewhat sharp sound.
My car used to make an odd ping, but after the last oil change it went away.
-
A pulse of high-pitched or ultrasonic sound whose echoes provide information about nearby objects and vessels.
The submarine sent out a ping and got an echo from a battleship.
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A packet which a remote host is expected to echo, thus indicating its presence.
The network is overloaded from all the pings going out.
verb
-
To make a high-pitched, short and somewhat sharp sound.
My car was pinging until my last oil change.
- To emit a signal and then listen for its echo in order to detect objects.
-
To send a packet in order to determine whether a host is present, particularly by use of the ping utility.
I'm pinging their server.
Origin
Partly onomatopoeic, and partly continuing Middle English pingen (“to push, shove, pierce, stab, prod, goad, urge, feel remorse, incite”), from Old English pyngan (“to prick”), in turn likely from pungere. Compare English pang.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)