Phrase guide

ding-dong ditch

noun · verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A children's prank in which a doorbell of a home is rung, and then the pranksters run or cycle away before the occupants of the home open the door.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: knick-knock, nigger knocking

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To perform such a prank.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From ding-dong (“sound made by a door bell”) + ditch (“to abandon”).

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: belletje trekken — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • Dutch: belletje lellen — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • French: sonne-décrisse — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • German: Klingelmännchen — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • German: Klingelstreich — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • German: Klingelputzen — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • German: Klingelpost — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • Japanese: ピンポンダッシュ (pin-pon dasshu) — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • Korean: 벨튀 (beltwi) — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • Norwegian: ring-på-spring — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • Norwegian: ring-på-stikk-av — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • Russian: стучать и убегать (stučatʹ i ubegatʹ) — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • Spanish: rin rin raje — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • Spanish: rin rin corre corre — ringing someone's door bell and running away
  • German: einen Klingelstreich spielen — to perform such a prank
  • Japanese: ピンポンダッシュする (pinpon dasshu suru) — to perform such a prank
  • Korean: 벨튀하다 (beltwihada) — to perform such a prank