noun

dink

dihngk

noun

A softly hit shot in tennis, padel, or pickleball that just clears the net.

"She won the point with a delicate dink over the net."

(informal) A foolish or contemptible person.

"Stop acting like such a dink."

verb

To play a soft, gentle shot rather than hitting hard.

"He dinked the ball just past the service line."

How to Use Dink

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA gentle, soft-touch shot in racquet sports — or, informally, an insult for someone annoying or foolish.

Common mistake

The sports sense (a soft touch shot) and the insult sense are unrelated in modern use; context makes clear which is meant.

Common pairings

hit a dink dink shot dink it over the net

dinked past tense, dinked past tense, dinks plural, dinks plural, dinks plural, dinks plural, dinks singular, dinks singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “dink” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

She won the point with a delicate _____ over the net.

An imitative word from 1930s American English, echoing the light "dink" sound of a soft tap.

ink pink link mink oink sink wink kink fink rink tink bink