a typically circular band of metal or other durable material, esp. one of gold or other precious metal, often set with gems, for wearing on the finger as an ornament, a token of betrothal or marriage, etc.

anything having the form of such a band

a napkin ring; a smoke ring.

a circular or surrounding line or mark

dark rings around the eyes.

a circular course

to dance in a ring.

a number of persons or things situated in a circle or in an approximately circular arrangement

a ring of stones; a ring of hills.

the outside edge of a circular body, as a wheel; rim.

an enclosed area, often circular, as for a sports contest or exhibition

a circus ring.

a bullring.

an enclosure in which boxing and wrestling matches take place, usually consisting of a square, canvas-covered platform with surrounding ropes that are supported at each corner by posts.

the sport of boxing; prizefighting

the heyday of the ring.

(formerly in the U.S., now only in Brit.) an area in a racetrack where bookmakers take bets.

a group of persons cooperating for unethical, illicit, or illegal purposes, as to control stock-market prices, manipulate politicians, or elude the law

a ring of dope smugglers.

a single turn in a spiral or helix or in a spiral course.

Geometry . the area or space between two concentric circles.

annual ring.

a circle of bark cut from around a tree.

Chemistry . a number of atoms so united that they may be graphically represented in cyclic form. Compare chain ( def. 7 ) .

Architecture . rowlock ( def. 1 ) .

a bowlike or circular piece at the top of an anchor, to which the chain or cable is secured.

Also called spinning ring. Textiles . (in the ring-spinning frame) a circular track of highly polished steel on which the traveler moves and which imparts twists to the yarn by variations in its vertical movement.

a unit of measurement of the diameter of cigars, equal to 1/64 of an inch. Also called ring gauge.

Automotive, Machinery . piston ring.

Mathematics . a set that is closed under the operations of addition and multiplication and that is an Abelian group with respect to addition and an associative semigroup with respect to multiplication and in which the distributive laws relating the two operations hold.

to surround with a ring; encircle.

to form into a ring.

to insert a ring through the nose of (an animal).

to hem in (animals) by riding or circling about them.

to girdle ( def. 11 ) .

(in horseshoes, ringtoss, etc.) to encircle (a stake or peg) with a ring, horseshoe, etc.

to form a ring or rings.

to move in a ring or a constantly curving course

The road rings around the mountain.

run rings around

to be obviously superior to; surpass; outdo

As an artist, she can run rings around her brother.

throw or toss one's hat in or into the ring. hat ( def. 8 ) .

adjective

mellow , orotund , plangent , resounding , rotund , round , sonorous , vibrant