Humdinger Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms humdinger American [huhm-ding-er] / ˈhʌmˈdɪŋ ər /

noun

Informal.

1. a person, thing, action, or statement of remarkable excellence or effect.

humdinger British / ˈhʌmˌdɪŋə /

noun

1. something unusually large

   a humdinger of a recession

2. an excellent person or thing

   a humdinger of a party

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of humdinger

First recorded in 1900–05; of uncertain origin; perhaps from hum + ding 1 + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“It was a humdinger all right,” Daisy said.

From Literature

Early voting began this week in Texas’s humdinger of a Senate primary, where the intrigue is what isn’t happening on the Democratic side.

From The Wall Street Journal

There’s one idea that could really transform this plan and make it a humdinger that most people could support.

From MarketWatch

It is a win that sets up a humdinger of a match with Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.

From BBC

It’s a dazzling and rambunctious crime movie, with a humdinger of an ending.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.