-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 growing boy

   a sinking ship

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

   coming

   a wedding

   meeting

   winnings

2. from other nouns something used in, consisting of, involving, etc

   soldiering

   tubing

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

   sweeting

   whiting

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

Anyway, Hurley magically built a career from it, and is still smiling and siren-ing.

From The Daily Beast

(Or as Gehry framed it in the Sketches documentary: “mak[ing] beauty with junk”).

From The Daily Beast

It is about “demonstrat[ing] to the public—in real time—that Congress is on the job.”

From The Daily Beast

On "Only in Dreams," he worried about "crush[ing]" his dream girl's "pretty toenails into a thousand pieces" while they danced.

From The Daily Beast

In addition to the medical-insurance criteria, 15 points are awarded for “positively engag[ing] the External LGBT Community.”

From The 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.

From Project Gutenberg

I sees you pitchin' eberyt'ing away; I jes put this jug in hyar, 'ca'se I 'lowed you'd want some.

From Project Gutenberg

Madame Bill near fell off her chair with surprise, and began ha-ha-ing melodious.

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

Nagsalip-ing kug kwarta sa libru, I placed some money in between the pages of the book.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• computer-generated
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