going

[ goh-ing ]

noun

1. the act of leaving or departing; departure:

   a safe going and quick return.

2. the condition of surfaces, as those of roads, for walking or driving:

   After the heavy rain, the going was bad.

3. progress; advancement:

   With such slow going, the work is behind schedule.

4. Usually goings. behavior; conduct; deportment.

adjective

1. moving or working, as machinery.
2. active, alive, or existing.
3. continuing to operate or do business, especially in a successful manner:

   a going company.

4. current; prevalent; usual:

   What is the going price of good farmland in this area?

5. leaving; departing.

going

/ ˈɡəʊɪŋ /

noun

1. a departure or farewell
2. the condition of a surface such as a road or field with regard to walking, riding, etc

   muddy going

3. informal.
   speed, progress, etc

   we made good going on the trip

adjective

1. thriving (esp in the phrase a going concern )
2. current or accepted, as from past negotiations or commercial operation

   the going rate for electricians

   the going value of the firm

3. postpositive available

   the best going

4. going, going, gone!
   a statement by an auctioneer that the bidding has finished

Word History and Origins

Origin of going¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; go ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. get going, to begin; get started.
2. going away, Sports. by a wide margin, especially as established in the late stages of a contest:

   The champion won the bout going away.

3. going on,
   1. nearly; almost:

      It's going on four o'clock.

   2. happening:

      What's going on here?

   3. continuing; lasting:

      That party has been going on all night.

Example Sentences

The airport said in its release that tests will cost between $130 and $150, although the going price is $149 on Wellness 4 Humanity’s site.

From Washington Post

When the going got tough you pulled on through and helped others to live.

From Washington Post

Thanks to the double whammy of holiday feasting and pandemic-related pounds, New Year’s resolutions to get into shape were extra-big going into 2021.

From Fortune

From enterprise-wide announcements to award ceremonies, sharing snippets of events in the form of live stories is a tremendously useful way to showcase the goings-on at your company.

From Search Engine Watch

When the going’s been tough and the outlook is bleak, it helps to look back at past challenges as a reminder of how far we’ve come.

From Washington Post

This is going to be the Game of Thrones of U.S. Senate races.

From The Daily Beast

Music is a huge part of the tone of Black Dynamite overall—going back to the original 2009 movie on which the series is based.

From The Daily Beast

The questions going through my mind are: How on earth are there Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers in the heart of Paris?

From The Daily Beast

But I think Steve Austin has to team up with a Japanese holdout to stop a nuclear bomb from going off or something.

From The Daily Beast

It opens with Huckabee's dramatic recollection of going through security at the airport.

From The Daily Beast

That it is a reasonable and proper thing to ask our statesmen and politicians: what is going to happen to the world?

From Project Gutenberg

"I don't know whether I am going to like this or not--this coming to live in town," thought the little pig.

From Project Gutenberg

All my musical studies till now have been a mere going to school, a preparation for him.

From Project Gutenberg

And now I am going on to a review of the broad facts of the educational organization of our present world.

From Project Gutenberg

Then both the partners laughed together—pleasantly and cheerfully, as men who are going to receive money, often do.

From Project Gutenberg