ring

Compared meaning: an organized group, often criminal (noun).

比较义项：团伙（名词）。

• ring 本词

  Suggests a secretive, tightly organized group running an illegal operation, almost always paired with a noun like drug, spy, or smuggling; it rarely describes a loose or violent street group.

  ring 强调组织严密、从事秘密非法活动的团伙，几乎总是与 drug（毒品）、spy（间谍）、smuggling（走私）等词搭配使用；很少用来指松散或带有暴力性质的街头团伙。

  Interpol finally broke up a ring smuggling exotic animals across borders.

  国际刑警组织终于捣毁了一个跨境走私珍稀动物的团伙。

• gang

  The everyday, general word for an organized group, often but not only involved in crime or violence; it commonly describes street groups of young people and even fights or attacks together.

  gang 是更常用、更通用的词，指有组织的团伙，常常（但不限于）从事犯罪或暴力活动；它常用来指街头的青少年团伙，甚至会一起打架、袭击他人。

  A rival gang attacked him outside the school gates.

  一个敌对帮派在校门外袭击了他。

Ring and gang can both mean an organized group. Ring suggests a secretive group running illegal activity, like a drug ring. Gang is the everyday word for an organized group, often criminal, and used for young people's street groups. Their other meanings are not compared.

这两个词在“团伙”这一意义上是近义词，但语气和典型语境不同：ring 强调组织严密、从事秘密非法活动（如走私、间谍等）的团伙；gang 是更常见的日常用词，除指犯罪团伙外，也常指街头的青少年群体，甚至可以指普通的一群人。此处不比较 ring 的“戒指”“铃声”等其他意义，也不比较 gang 用作动词（gang up，联合起来对付某人）的用法。

Compared meaning: to enclose something on all sides (verb).

比较义项：包围、环绕（v.）。

• ring 本词

  Ring is more formal or literary in this sense, often describing natural features or crowds forming a circle around something; less common in everyday speech than surround.

  ring在此义项上更正式、书面化，常用来描述自然景物或人群围成一圈包围某物；在日常口语中不如surround常用。

  Snow-capped mountains ring the small town, sheltering it from strong winds.

  雪山环绕着这座小镇，为它遮挡了强风。

• surround

  Surround is the plain, everyday word for being all the way around something; it is neutral in tone and used freely with people, objects, or places.

  surround是表示“完全围住某物”最普通、最常用的词，语气中性，可自由用于人、物或场所。

  A high fence surrounds the property to keep intruders out.

  一道高高的围栏围住了这处房产，以防止闯入者。

Ring and surround both mean to be all the way around something. Ring is more formal here, often describing natural features or crowds forming a circle. Surround is the plain, everyday word, used freely for people, objects, or places. Ring's other senses are not compared.

这两个词在“包围、环绕”这一义项上意思相近，但ring更书面、正式，常用来描述自然景物或人群围成一圈包围某物；surround是日常最常用的说法，可自由用于人、物或场所，语气中性。这里不比较ring的其他义项，如“戒指”（名词）或“打铃、使铃响”（动词）。