Giving a demerit

verb

1. To make a ringing sound clang
2. To speak with tiresome reiteration
3. To dwell on with tiresome repetition

   "keeps dinging it into him that the less he smokes the better"

verb

1. To strike or knock against

   "got dinged on the elbow"

2. To cause minor surface damage to

   "ding a car door"

3. To do harm to

   "… has struggled of late to win customers back after reports of a norovirus outbreak … circulated in July, once again dinging the chain's reputation."

4. To cause a usually minor injury to

   "On Jan. 20, Joel Embiid dinged his knee in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The ever-cautious Sixers held the big man out of the next two games with what was described as a “left knee contusion.”"

5. To penalize or criticize

   "Joseph's time hasn't been without some controversy, including recently when the state dinged the district for starting the year with several administrators not holding Tennessee teaching and administrative licenses."