-ing

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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.”

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Compare -ing².

Origin of -ing

Middle English; Old English -ing, -ung

Words nearby -ing

Infusoria, infusorial, infusorial earth, infusorian, in futuro, -ing, ingate, ingather, ingathering, Inge, Ingelow

Other definitions for -ing (2 of 3)

-ing²

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

Compare -ing¹.

Origin of -ing

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

how to pronounce -ing

The common suffix -ing2 can be pronounced in modern English as either

[‐ing] /‐ɪŋ/ or

[‐in], /‐ɪn/, with either the velar nasal consonant

[ng], /ŋ/, symbolized in IPA as [ŋ], or the alveolar nasal consonant

[n], /n/, symbolized in IPA as [n]. The

[‐in] /‐ɪn/ 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] /‐ɪŋ/ considered the more formal variant. For some educated speakers, especially in the southern United States and Britain,

[‐in] /‐ɪn/ is in fact the more common pronunciation, while for other educated speakers,

[‐ing] /‐ɪŋ/ is common in virtually all circumstances. In response to correction from perceived authorities, many American speakers who would ordinarily use

[‐in] /‐ɪn/ at least some of the time make a conscious effort to say

[‐ing], /‐ɪŋ/, even in informal circumstances.

Other definitions for -ing (3 of 3)

-ing³

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.

Compare -ling¹.

Origin of -ing

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use -ing in a sentence

Anyway, Hurley magically built a career from it, and is still smiling and siren-ing.
Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress|Tim Teeman|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
(Or as Gehry framed it in the Sketches documentary: “mak[ing] beauty with junk”).
Frank Gehry Is Architecture’s Mad Genius|Sarah Moroz|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is about “demonstrat[ing] to the public—in real time—that Congress is on the job.”
Colleges Lawyer Up Before Claire McCaskill Rape Inquiry|Emily Shire|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On "Only in Dreams," he worried about "crush[ing]" his dream girl's "pretty toenails into a thousand pieces" while they danced.
Remembering Weezer’s ‘The Blue Album,’ A Garage Rock Classic, on Its 20th Anniversary|Andrew Romano|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In addition to the medical-insurance criteria, 15 points are awarded for “positively engag[ing] the External LGBT Community.”
The Arbitrary Way Companies Are Labeled 'Anti-Gay'|Emily Shire|April 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A gentleman of the bar remarked that he could see no impropriety in a man and his wife a-door-ing each other.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
I sees you pitchin' eberyt'ing away; I jes put this jug in hyar, 'ca'se I 'lowed you'd want some.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various
Madame Bill near fell off her chair with surprise, and began ha-ha-ing melodious.
The Belted Seas|Arthur Colton
Moung Ing then went in search of Mr. Judson; and it was nearly dark when he found him in the interior of an obscure prison.
Fox's Book of Martyrs|John Foxe
Nagsalip-ing kug kwarta sa libru, I placed some money in between the pages of the book.
A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan|John U. Wolff

British Dictionary definitions for -ing (1 of 3)

-ing¹

suffix forming nouns

(from verbs) the action of, process of, result of, or something connected with the verbcoming; meeting; a wedding; winnings

(from other nouns) something used in, consisting of, involving, etctubing; soldiering

(from other parts of speech)an outing

Word Origin for -ing

Old English -ing, -ung

British Dictionary definitions for -ing (2 of 3)

-ing²

suffix

forming the present participle of verbswalking; believing

forming participial adjectivesa growing boy; a sinking ship

forming adjectives not derived from verbsswashbuckling

Word Origin for -ing

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

British Dictionary definitions for -ing (3 of 3)

-ing³

suffix forming nouns

a person or thing having a certain quality or being of a certain kindsweeting; whiting

Word Origin for -ing

Old English -ing; related to Old Norse -ingr

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