1. [n]  a rigid circular band of metal or wood or other material used for holding or fastening or hanging or pulling; "there was still a rusty iron hoop for tying a horse"
2. [n]  jewelry consisting of a circular band of a precious metal worn on the finger; "she had rings on every finger"
3. [n]  a square platform marked off by ropes in which contestants box or wrestle
4. [n]  a characteristic sound; "it has the ring of sincerity"
5. [n]  the sound of a bell ringing; "the distinctive ring of the church bell"; "the ringing of the telephone"; "the tintinnabulation that so volumnously swells from the ringing and the dinging of the bells"--E. A. Poe
6. [n]  an association of criminals; "police tried to break up the gang"; "a pack of thieves"
7. [n]  (chemistry) a chain of atoms in a molecule that forms a closed loop
8. [n]  a toroidal shape; "a ring of ships in the harbor"; "a halo of smoke"
9. [v]  get or try to get into communication (with someone) by telephone; "I tried to call you all night"; "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning"
10. [v]  attach a ring to; "ring birds"
11. [v]  make a ringing sound
12. [v]  make (bells) ring, often for the purposes of musical edification; "Ring the bells"; "My uncle rings every Sunday at the local church"
13. [v]  ring or echo with sound; "the hall resounded with laughter"
14. [v]  be around; "Developments surround the town"; "The river encircles the village"

1. \Ring\ (r[i^]ng), v. t. [imp. {Rang} (r[a^]ng) or {Rung}
   (r[u^]ng); p. p. {Rung}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Ringing}.] [AS.
   hringan; akin to Icel. hringja, Sw. ringa, Dan. ringe, OD.
   ringhen, ringkelen. [root]19.]
   1. To cause to sound, especially by striking, as a metallic
      body; as, to ring a bell.
   2. To make (a sound), as by ringing a bell; to sound.
            The shard-borne beetle, with his drowsy hums, Hath
            rung night's yawning peal.            --Shak.
   3. To repeat often, loudly, or earnestly.
   {To ring a peal}, to ring a set of changes on a chime of
      bells.
   {To ring the changes upon}. See under {Change}.
   {To ring in} or {out}, to usher, attend on, or celebrate, by
      the ringing of bells; as, to ring out the old year and
      ring in the new. --Tennyson.
   {To ring the bells backward}, to sound the chimes, reversing
      the common order; -- formerly done as a signal of alarm or
      danger. --Sir W. Scott.
   

2. \Ring\, v. i.
   1. To sound, as a bell or other sonorous body, particularly a
      metallic one.
            Now ringen trompes loud and clarion.  --Chaucer.
            Why ring not out the bells?           --Shak.
   2. To practice making music with bells. --Holder.
   3. To sound loud; to resound; to be filled with a ringing or
      reverberating sound.
            With sweeter notes each rising temple rung. --Pope.
            The hall with harp and carol rang.    --Tennyson.
            My ears still ring with noise.        --Dryden.
   4. To continue to sound or vibrate; to resound.
            The assertion is still ringing in our ears. --Burke.
   5. To be filled with report or talk; as, the whole town rings
      with his fame.
   

3. \Ring\, n.
   1. A sound; especially, the sound of vibrating metals; as,
      the ring of a bell.
   2. Any loud sound; the sound of numerous voices; a sound
      continued, repeated, or reverberated.
            The ring of acclamations fresh in his ears. --Bacon
   3. A chime, or set of bells harmonically tuned.
            As great and tunable a ring of bells as any in the
            world.                                --Fuller.
   

4. \Ring\, n. [AS. hring, hrinc; akin to Fries. hring, D. & G.
   ring, OHG. ring, hring, Icel. hringr, DAn. & SW. ring; cf.
   Russ. krug'. Cf. {Harangue}, {Rank} a row,{Rink}.]
   A circle, or a circular line, or anything in the form of a
   circular line or hoop.
   2. Specifically, a circular ornament of gold or other
      precious material worn on the finger, or attached to the
      ear, the nose, or some other part of the person; as, a
      wedding ring.
            Upon his thumb he had of gold a ring. --Chaucer.
            The dearest ring in Venice will I give you. --Shak.
   3. A circular area in which races are or run or other sports
      are performed; an arena.
            Place me, O, place me in the dusty ring, Where
            youthful charioteers contend for glory. --E. Smith.
   4. An inclosed space in which pugilists fight; hence,
      figuratively, prize fighting. ``The road was an
      institution, the ring was an institution.'' --Thackeray.
   5. A circular group of persons.
            And hears the Muses in a ring Aye round about Jove's
            alter sing.                           --Milton.
   6. (Geom.)
      (a) The plane figure included between the circumferences
          of two concentric circles.
      (b) The solid generated by the revolution of a circle, or
          other figure, about an exterior straight line (as an
          axis) lying in the same plane as the circle or other
          figure.
   7. (Astron. & Navigation) An instrument, formerly used for
      taking the sun's altitude, consisting of a brass ring
      suspended by a swivel, with a hole at one side through
      which a solar ray entering indicated the altitude on the
      graduated inner surface opposite.
   8. (Bot.) An elastic band partly or wholly encircling the
      spore cases of ferns. See Illust. of {Sporangium}.
   9. A clique; an exclusive combination of persons for a
      selfish purpose, as to control the market, distribute
      offices, obtain contracts, etc.
            The ruling ring at Constantinople.    --E. A.
                                                  Freeman.
   {Ring armor}, armor composed of rings of metal. See {Ring
      mail}, below, and {Chain mail}, under {Chain}.
   {Ring blackbird} (Zo["o]l.), the ring ousel.
   {Ring canal} (Zo["o]l.), the circular water tube which
      surrounds the esophagus of echinoderms.
   {Ring dotterel}, or {Ringed dotterel}. (Zo["o]l.) See
      {Dotterel}, and Illust. of {Pressiroster}.
   {Ring dropper}, a sharper who pretends to have found a ring
      (dropped by himself), and tries to induce another to buy
      it as valuable, it being worthless.
   {Ring fence}. See under {Fence}.
   {Ring finger}, the third finger of the left hand, or the next
      the little finger, on which the ring is placed in
      marriage.
   {Ring formula} (Chem.), a graphic formula in the shape of a
      closed ring, as in the case of benzene, pyridine, etc. See
      Illust. under {Benzene}.
   {Ring mail}, a kind of mail made of small steel rings sewed
      upon a garment of leather or of cloth.
   {Ring micrometer}. (Astron.) See {Circular micrometer}, under
      {Micrometer}.
   {Saturn's rings}. See {Saturn}.
   {Ring ousel}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Ousel}.
   {Ring parrot} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of Old
      World parrakeets having a red ring around the neck,
      especially {Pal[ae]ornis torquatus}, common in India, and
      {P. Alexandri} of {Java}.
   {Ring plover}. (Zo["o]l.)
      (a) The ringed dotterel.
      (b) Any one of several small American plovers having a
          dark ring around the neck, as the semipalmated plover
          ({[AE]gialitis semipalmata}).
   {Ring snake} (Zo["o]l.), a small harmless American snake
      ({Diadophis punctatus}) having a white ring around the
      neck. The back is ash-colored, or sage green, the belly of
      an orange red.
   {Ring stopper}. (Naut.) See under {Stopper}.
   {Ring thrush} (Zo["o]l.), the ring ousel.
   {The prize ring}, the ring in which prize fighters contend;
      prize fighters, collectively.
   {The ring}.
      (a) The body of sporting men who bet on horse races.
          [Eng.]
      (b) The prize ring.
   

5. \Ring\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ringed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Ringing}.]
   1. To surround with a ring, or as with a ring; to encircle.
      ``Ring these fingers.'' --Shak.
   2. (Hort.) To make a ring around by cutting away the bark; to
      girdle; as, to ring branches or roots.
   3. To fit with a ring or with rings, as the fingers, or a
      swine's snout.
   

6. \Ring\, v. i. (Falconry)
   To rise in the air spirally.
   

Used as an ornament to decorate the fingers, arms, wrists, and also the ears and the nose. Rings were used as a signet (Gen. 38:18). They were given as a token of investment with authority (Gen. 41:42; Esther 3:8-10; 8:2), and of favour and dignity (Luke 15:22). They were generally worn by rich men (James 2:2). They are mentioned by Isiah (3:21) among the adornments of Hebrew women.