zing
/zɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · [zˈɪŋ] /zɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · [zˈɪŋ] /ˈziŋ How to pronounce zing (audio)/ (ame, mw)
zing — noun
1. an appealing, lively quality that makes a person, place, activity, or thing feel
an appealing, lively quality that makes a person, place, activity, or thing feel fresh, fun, or full of energy
A little hot pepper can add zing to a simple tomato soup.
collocation: add zing (make more exciting)
Tara's colourful artwork brought a special zing to the school exhibition.
Omar thought the advertising campaign was good but needed extra zing.
The festival lacked zing until the organisers hired a live band.
The comedian's sharp jokes gave the show a zing that the audience loved.
- liveliness
more neutral, less informal
- sparkle
suggests visible brightness or charm
- pizzazz
very informal, strongly associated with showmanship
- zest
implies enthusiastic enjoyment, also used for citrus flavour
- dullness
complete lack of interest or excitement
文法句型
noun is uncountable
have / add / bring / lack zing
用法筆記
Common in informal reviews of food, entertainment, or creative work. Can describe flavour (a citrus zing), personality (a zing in her voice), or atmosphere.
常見錯誤
2. a short, sharp humming or vibrating noise, like the sound made by a fast-moving
a short, sharp humming or vibrating noise, like the sound made by a fast-moving object, a taut wire, or certain insects
The zing of an arrow flying past his ear made Hiro jump.
pattern: the zing of [fast-moving object]
Evelyn heard a metallic zing when the knife hit the kitchen floor.
collocation: metallic zing
A sudden zing from the kitchen told Luca something was wrong.
I heard the zing of a mosquito near my ear last night.
The zing of the sword cutting through the air was clear in the quiet room.
文法句型
the zing of [something]
用法筆記
Describes a brief, high-pitched noise — typically shorter and sharper than a general 'buzz'. Often paired with a concrete source of the sound (arrow, blade, wire).
常見錯誤
zing — verb
- zingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- zingshe / she / it
- zingedpast simple
- zinging-ing form
1. to travel or cause something to travel at high speed, especially through the air
to travel or cause something to travel at high speed, especially through the air, often producing a sharp whistling or humming noise
A red sports car zinged past us on the empty highway.
zing + adverb of direction (past)
The tennis ball zinged over the net and hit the back wall.
Gabriel zinged the bottle cap across the room with his thumb.
In the action film, bullets zinged through the air above the soldiers.
Caio zinged a stone across the surface of the lake.
文法句型
zing + adverb of direction
zing + object + adverb of direction
用法筆記
Almost always used with a directional prepositional phrase (past, across, through, over). The transitive use ('zing something + direction') is more common than the intransitive.
常見錯誤
2. to express sharp, clever criticism toward a person or an action, often in a witt
to express sharp, clever criticism toward a person or an action, often in a witty or pointed way that catches the target off guard
The critic zinged the new play in her morning newspaper review.
zing + object in [publication]
Liam zinged his teammate with a sharp comment about the missed goal.
zing + object + with + [criticism]
During the debate, the candidate zinged her opponent's tax plan.
Folake zinged her brother for leaving the kitchen in a mess.
Journalists at the press conference zinged the mayor with clever questions.
- praise
to express warm approval or admiration
文法句型
zing + object
zing + object + for + noun phrase / gerund
用法筆記
Unlike general verbs of criticism (criticize, scold), 'zing' carries a flavour of wit or cleverness — the remark is meant to be memorable, not just negative. Frequently used in media and political commentary.