parking

American  

[par-king] / ˈpær kɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that parks, especially a vehicle.

2. space in which to park vehicles, as at a place of business or a public event.

   There's plenty of free parking at the stadium.

3. permission to park vehicles.

   Is there parking on this side of the street?

4. the activity or occupation of a person who operates or works in a parking lot, garage, or the like.

5. parking strip.

6. Informal. the act of kissing and caressing in a parked car.

   Some of the couples went parking on their way home from the dance.

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adjective

1. of, pertaining to, used for, or engaged in parking, especially of vehicles.

   parking regulations; a parking ticket; a parking space; a parking attendant.

Other Word Forms

• unparking adjective

Etymology

Origin of parking

First recorded in 1520–30; park + -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

One inside an elevator vestibule and another in a parking garage.

From Los Angeles Times

Outside, freshly laid parking lots sit mostly empty while a single, shrunken shift of workers comes and goes.

From The Wall Street Journal

This helps make sense of the narrow birthright exceptions: In contrast, foreign diplomats enjoy immunity and famously don’t pay New York parking tickets.

From The Wall Street Journal

After most appointments, my mom would pull her van into the Starbucks parking lot in the shopping center next door.

From Salon

Blinking, she tries to make sense of the pockmarked parking lot in front of her.

From Literature

Related Words

• embracing