Pinger

//ˈpɪŋ.ɚ// noun, slang

noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A device that emits a short, high-pitched sound burst, such as in sonar or other echo location systems.

    "We couldn't take the boat into the shallows near the reef because our sonar pinger was broken."

  2. 2
    a pulse generator used for echo sounding in sonar wordnet
  3. 3
    A device that periodically emits a signal that can be monitored to permit movement tracking.

    "The scientist attached a pinger to the carapace of the sea turtle to track its migration."

  4. 4
    A computer program that sends a ping message over a network.

    "Some people like fancy pingers with extra features, but I always use the default ping application."

  5. 5
    A user of a ping program; one who pings.

    "Every time we replace the main page, we get flooded with pingers making sure our web site is still there."

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    An illicit drug, especially ecstasy, taken for recreational purposes. slang

    "That was a great party. Everyone took a pinger or two."

Example

More examples

"We couldn't take the boat into the shallows near the reef because our sonar pinger was broken."

Etymology

From ping + -er.

More for "pinger"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.