Ringer - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT ringer /ˈrɪŋər/ /ˈrɪŋə/ IPA guide

Other forms: ringers

If you enter an amateur baking contest pretending to be self-taught when you're actually a French-trained pastry chef, you are a ringer. A ringer is a contestant who lies about his experience.

The idea of a ringer first developed in horse racing, where fast horses were sometime substituted, secretly, for slower ones — this was originally known as a "ring-in." It's thought to have come from the British term of the same name, which means "substitute or exchange." Ringers are occasionally used in many different sports and competitions, in an attempt to gain a sneaky kind of advantage.

Definitions of ringer

noun (horseshoes) the successful throw of a horseshoe or quoit so as to encircle a stake or peg see moresee less type of: throw the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist)
noun a person who rings church bells (as for summoning the congregation) synonyms: bell ringer, toller see moresee less type of: signaler, signaller someone who communicates by signals
noun a person who is almost identical to another synonyms: clone, dead ringer, doppelganger see moresee less type of: double, image, look-alike someone who closely resembles a famous person (especially an actor)
noun a contestant entered in a competition under false pretenses see moresee less type of: fake, faker, fraud, humbug, imposter, impostor, pretender, pseud, pseudo, role player, sham, shammer a person who makes deceitful pretenses

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘ringer'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family 2 million people are mastering new words. Master a word

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