-ing

¹

1. a suffix of nouns formed from verbs, expressing the action of the verb or its result, product, material, etc. ( the art of building; a new building; cotton wadding ). It is also used to form nouns from words other than verbs ( offing; shirting ). Verbal nouns ending in -ing are often used attributively ( the printing trade ) and in forming compounds ( drinking song ). In some compounds ( sewing machine ), the first element might reasonably be regarded as the participial adjective, -ing2, the compound thus meaning “a machine that sews,” but it is commonly taken as a verbal noun, the compound being explained as “a machine for sewing.”

-ing

²

1. a suffix forming the present participle of verbs ( walking; thinking ), such participles being often used as participial adjectives: warring factions.

-ing

³

1. a native English suffix meaning “one belonging to,” “of the kind of,” “one descended from,” and sometimes having a diminutive force, formerly used in the formation of nouns: farthing; shilling; bunting; gelding; whiting.

-ing

¹

suffix

1. forming the present participle of verbs

   walking

   believing

2. forming participial adjectives

   a sinking ship

   a growing boy

3. forming adjectives not derived from verbs

   swashbuckling

-ing

²

suffix forming nouns

1. from verbs the action of, process of, result of, or something connected with the verb

   meeting

   a wedding

   coming

   winnings

2. from other nouns something used in, consisting of, involving, etc

   tubing

   soldiering

3. ( from other parts of speech )

   an outing

-ing

³

suffix forming nouns

1. a person or thing having a certain quality or being of a certain kind

   whiting

   sweeting

Pronunciation Note

The common suffix -ing2 can be pronounced in modern English as either [‑ing] or [‑in], with either the velar nasal consonant [ng], symbolized in IPA as [ŋ], or the alveolar nasal consonant [n], symbolized in IPA as [n]. The [‑in] pronunciation therefore reflects the use of one nasal as against another and not, as is popularly supposed, “dropping the g, ” since no actual g -sound is involved. Many speakers use both pronunciations, depending on the speed of utterance and the relative formality of the occasion, with [‑ing] considered the more formal variant. For some educated speakers, especially in the southern United States and Britain, [‑in] is in fact the more common pronunciation, while for other educated speakers, [‑ing] is common in virtually all circumstances. In response to correction from perceived authorities, many American speakers who would ordinarily use [‑in] at least some of the time make a conscious effort to say [‑ing], even in informal circumstances.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ing¹

Middle English; Old English -ing, -ung

Origin of -ing²

Middle English -ing, -inge ; the variant -in (usually represented in spelling as -inʾ ) continues Middle English -inde, -ende, Old English -ende

Origin of -ing³

Middle English, Old English -ing, cognate with Old Norse -ingr, -ungr, Gothic -ings

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ing¹

Middle English -ing, -inde, from Old English -ende

Origin of -ing²

Old English -ing, -ung

Origin of -ing³

Old English -ing; related to Old Norse -ingr

Example Sentences

Musk responded to a repost of Fineman's video on his platform, X, stating "Frankly, it was only on the Thursday before the Saturday that ANY of the sketches generated laughs. I was worried. I was like d**n my 'SNL' appearance is going to be so f***ing unfunny. But then it worked out in the end."

From Salon

I thought that if I can ride a motorcycle by myself, even though I was terrified of even driving a f—ing car, l can do anything else.

From Los Angeles Times

Come really open and no f–ing networking vibes.

From Los Angeles Times

I’d never seen a f—ing palm tree.

From Los Angeles Times

Look at me — I’m f—ing perfect.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• computer-generated
• virtual