English

Noun

zing ‎(plural zings)

1. A short high-pitched humming sound, such as that made by a bullet or vibrating string.
   • 1998 March 15, Edward E. Leslie, Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls, Mariner Books, ISBN 9780395911501, OL 7468582M, page 387:

     I heard a zing close to my head and looked up again. Five or six men were lined up on the deck above me with rifles shooting at the shark.

2. A witty insult or derogatory remark.
3. (uncountable) Zest or vitality.
   • 2006 May 25, Melinda Houston, “European Bier Cafe - Bar Reviews”, in The Age:

     To accompany a meal, the fresh Italian lager Poretti is perfect; Erdinger Weisbier, a wheat beer from Germany, is full of zing;

Translations

Verb

zing ‎(third-person singular simple present zings, present participle zinging, simple past and past participle zinged)

1. To move very quickly, especially while making a high-pitched hum.
   • 2000, Nick Nelson, The Golden Vortex, Conscious Publishing, ISBN 9781929096015, OL 8949607W, page 89:

     We are all a second or two older than an astronaut who has been zinging around the Earth at 18000 miles per hour, because of his or her greater speed and the lack of gravity.

Interjection

zing

1. (onomatopoeia) A high pitched humming sound.
   • 1934, James F. Hanley (music), “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart”:

     Something inside of me started a symphony / Zing! Went the strings of my heart

2. (US, slang) Used to acknowledge a witty comeback, a zinger.
   • 2002, Chellie Campbell, The Wealthy Spirit, Sourcebooks, ISBN 9781570717772, OL 8698152M, page 162:

     Zing! The joke had rebounded back on the one who started it. "Ouch!" Mama Jane winced ruefully. We all dissolved in laughter at the good-natured repartee.

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪŋ
• IPA^(key): /zɪŋ/

Verb

zing

1. first-person singular present indicative of zingen
2. imperative of zingen