- present participle of christen.
christening
Americannoun
-
the ceremony of baptism, especially as accompanied by the giving of a name to a child.
-
a public ceremony in which a new ship is formally named and launched.
-
an act or instance of naming or dedicating something new.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of christening
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at christen, -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing christening
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They enact for their confused rescuer the story of the forgotten fairy at the christening, the curse and the spindle—and then go back to sleep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Dr Gillespie said issues with availability can mean they are often called into highly emotional situations at short notice, sometimes moving between a christening and a life-or-death situation in hospital.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2025
Bitcoin had risen nine out of the previous 11 Octobers before this year, according to Dow Jones Market Data, leading to some bulls christening the month “Uptober.”
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
I’d recently treated myself to a deep red nonstick Bundt pan and this recipe became its christening.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2025
The fairies came to christening parties and gave the babies magical gifts.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
The houseboat is safe, as is the Windmill Chapel, where weddings, christenings and memorials are held.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2025
In January 2020, just before Poland went into lockdown, my three Anglo-Polish boys had their christenings in Warsaw.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2023
Sunday’s private ceremony, which took place at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, was to celebrate two family christenings, according to the PA report.
From Reuters ● Nov. 21, 2021
Katia Marchesi, 57, stood in line to make an interest payment on the gold chains and medals she and her daughter had received for their christenings and communions.
From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2020
Before long he was entertaining our daughters by taking them to ship christenings.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
