gerund
(in certain languages, as Latin) a form regularly derived from a verb and functioning as a noun, having in Latin all case forms but the nominative, as Latin dicendī genitive, dicendō dative, ablative, etc., “saying.”: See also gerundive (def. 1).
the English -ing form of a verb when functioning as a noun, as writing in Writing is easy.
a form similar to the Latin gerund in meaning or function.
Origin of gerund
1Grammar notes for gerund
Other words from gerund
- ge·run·di·al [juh-ruhn-dee-uhl], /dʒəˈrʌn di əl/, adjective
- ge·run·di·al·ly, adverb
- non·ge·run·di·al, adjective
Words Nearby gerund
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use gerund in a sentence
Well, if you have, how are you going to spot the gerund and the gerundive?
The Varmint | Owen Johnson"gerund, sir," said the Coffee-colored Angel with more conviction.
The Varmint | Owen JohnsonShe could hardly wait to take off her coat when she reached her room in Mrs. gerund's lodging-house.
Find the Woman | Arthur Somers RocheUsually the phrase is used like an adjective; occasionally it is used like a noun (sometimes called the gerund phrase).
Business English | Rose BuhligThe prepositional and infinitive phrases may have all three uses; the participial phrase has two—adjective and noun (gerund).
Business English | Rose Buhlig
British Dictionary definitions for gerund
/ (ˈdʒɛrənd) /
a noun formed from a verb, denoting an action or state. In English, the gerund, like the present participle, is formed in -ing: the living is easy
Origin of gerund
1Derived forms of gerund
- gerundial (dʒɪˈrʌndɪəl), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for gerund
[ (jer-uhnd) ]
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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