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Synonyms

parting

American  
[pahr-ting] / ˈpɑr tɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of a person or thing that parts.

  2. a division or separation.

  3. a place of division or separation.

  4. a departure or leave-taking.

  5. death.

  6. something that serves to part or separate things.

  7. Mineralogy. a fracture of a crystal along a plane determined by twinning or pressure rather than along a cleavage plane.

  8. Metallurgy. parting line.

adjective

  1. given, happening, taken, done, etc., at parting.

    a parting glance.

  2. of or relating to parting, leave-taking, departure, or death.

    parting words.

  3. ending or taking leave.

    the parting day.

  4. dying.

  5. dividing or separating.

parting British  
/ ˈpɑːtɪŋ /

noun

  1. US, Canadian, and Austral equivalent: part.  the line of scalp showing when sections of hair are combed in opposite directions

  2. the act of separating or the state of being separated

    1. a departure or leave-taking, esp one causing a final separation

    2. ( as modifier )

      a parting embrace

  4. a place or line of separation or division

  5. chem a division of a crystal along a plane that is not a cleavage plane

  6. a euphemism for death

"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

adjective

  1. literary departing

    the parting day

  2. serving to divide or separate

"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

Etymology

Origin of parting

1250–1300; Middle English partyng (gerund). See part, -ing 1, -ing 2

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.

In 2019, he launched a revamped version of his business, dubbed Parting Stone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025

For his part, Kennedy may have left the meeting in a “cold fury” after being “knocked off balance,” as Taylor Branch suggested in his landmark study, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954–1963.

From Slate • Aug. 18, 2025

Parting ways with his old record label to form his own was an eye-opening experience for the 24-year-old Nigerian singer.

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2024

Parting thoughts: Some escape rooms miss the fact that the emcee is part of the experience, and if they are not excited, you won’t be either.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 21, 2022

Parting from my friend Albert Kropp was very hard.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

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.