Definition

1. Noun:
   • A table sport resembling tennis: "ping-pong" refers to a game played on a table divided by a net, using small paddles (or bats) and a lightweight, hollow ball. The objective is to hit the ball so that it bounces on the opponent's side of the table in a way that they cannot return it.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • We play ping-pong every Friday in the community center.
  • The office has a ping-pong table for employees to use during breaks.

Advanced Usage

• "to ping-pong" (verb, informal): To move or be sent back and forth rapidly or repeatedly between people, places, or states.
  • The proposal kept ping-ponging between the departments for weeks.
  • During the debate, the accusations ping-ponged across the stage.

Variants and Related Words

• Table tennis: The official, more formal name for the sport, often used in competitive contexts.
  • She is a champion in table tennis.
• Ping-Pong (trademark): A proprietary term for table tennis equipment and, by association, the game itself.

Synonyms

• Table tennis: The standard synonym, especially for formal or Olympic contexts.

Related Phrases

• Ping-pong diplomacy: A historical term referring to the exchange of table tennis players between the United States and China in the early 1970s, which helped ease diplomatic tensions.
  • The ping-pong diplomacy of 1971 was a pivotal moment in Sino-American relations.

Noun

1. a game (trademark Ping-Pong) resembling tennis but played on a table with paddles and a light hollow ball