-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

“That you don’t throw chairs off f—ing roofs,” he says, grinning as he refers to Wallen’s arrest in April for doing just that from atop Eric Church’s six-story bar on Nashville’s busy Broadway.

From Los Angeles Times

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

Related Words

• computer-generated
• virtual