a person who rings church bells (as for summoning the congregation)
"The young ringer practiced his technique on the tower's massive bells every morning before dawn."
a person who is almost identical to another
"The detective was shocked when he realized the suspect in the photo was just a ringer of the fugitive they were tracking."
a contestant entered in a competition under false pretenses
"The detective uncovered that the famous boxer was actually just a ringer sent to take the place of the injured champion."
(horseshoes) the successful throw of a horseshoe or quoit so as to encircle a stake or peg
"After years of practice, she finally scored her first ringer by perfectly circling the peg."
Someone who rings, especially a bell ringer.
"The bookstore employee asked if I was a ringer, since I knew every detail about Middle-earth without ever having read the books myself."
In the game of horseshoes, the event of the horseshoe landing around the pole.
A person highly proficient at a skill or sport who is brought in, often fraudulently, to supplement a team.
A top performer.
Any person or thing that is fraudulent; a fake or impostor.
An officer having the specified number of rings (denoting rank) on the uniform sleeve.
A fan of the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien and/or the film trilogy based on it.
In plain English: A ringer is someone who looks exactly like another person but isn't actually them, often used to trick people into thinking they are meeting their friend or relative when it's really an imposter.
"The boxer was known for being such a dangerous ring that no challenger could beat him easily, but when they finally found his true rival, everyone knew he had brought in a real ringer to win the title."
Usage: The term "ringer" is often used colloquially to describe a highly skilled substitute in sports or competitions, but it carries a strong connotation of fraudulence when referring to someone brought in secretly to deceive opponents. In formal contexts regarding military rank, avoid using this slang definition and instead refer specifically to the officer's insignia.
A surname.
"Several famous athletes share the Ringer surname, including a renowned basketball player and a professional boxer."
The word ringer comes from the Old French verb ringier, meaning "to strike or toll," which entered Middle English as an agent noun for someone who performs this action. It traveled into modern usage specifically referring to a person whose job is to ring church bells, though it has since broadened in other contexts like boxing or impersonation.