WordGarden.ioching
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈt͡ʃɪŋ/interjection
US
- /ˈtʃɪŋ/
Meanings
Interjection
used to represent a sharp metallic or cash-register ring
Noun
money or cash
a pair of small finger cymbals used in Thai or Cambodian music
(slang)cocaine
More meaningsFewer meanings
(slang)a knife
Verb
(slang)to stab someone
Beyond the definition
"Ching!" is the crisp, resonant sound people often write for the satisfying ring of coins or the bright chime of a cash register. Especially online (and often in the fuller "ka-ching"), it's used as shorthand for money arriving, profit being made, or a sale going through. By extension, some speakers use it as playful slang for "money" itself. But context matters: when it's used to mock East Asian languages (for example, in the racist "ching-chong" caricature), it becomes offensive. In parts of UK slang, it can also mean to stab or slash with a knife, so in those settings it may carry a threatening edge.
"Ching" is a word with layered meanings that can shift from harmless sound effect to loaded slang depending on where—and how—it's used. At its most basic level, it's onomatopoeia: the metallic "ching" of coins clinking together or the bright register-like chime that signals a transaction. That sound association makes it an easy piece of shorthand in stories, comics, captions, and memes for "money," "profit," or "a sale just happened," especially as an echo of the familiar phrase "ka-ching."
From that sound effect, some speakers also use the word loosely as informal slang for money itself ("the ching"), but this is not a standard dictionary sense and can feel very regional or internet-driven. Separately, in some UK street and drill-influenced slang, "ching" can be a verb meaning to stab or slash with a knife—an entirely different meaning that can be alarming if you're only expecting the cash-register sound.
It's also important to recognize the cultural sensitivity around it. When "ching" is used as part of language-mocking phrases (notably the racist "ching-chong" stereotype), it functions as an insult rather than a sound effect, and many communities treat it as harassment. Used simply to represent a metallic chime, it's usually innocuous; used to imitate people, it can be hurtful. The story of the word is a reminder that context—not just dictionary meaning—determines how a listener will hear it.
Examples
- 1
Shop bell
"Ching!" went the bell above the shop door as we walked in.
- 2
Cup sound
There was a sharp ching as the spoon hit the side of the cup.
- 3
Joke sound
After his awful pun, he paused and said, "Ba-dum ching."
- Phraseba-dum ching
a drum-and-cymbal sound people say after a joke
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- ching