Showing results for "seating"

• present participle of seat.

seating

American  

[see-ting] / ˈsi tɪŋ /

noun

seatings plural

1. an act or instance of furnishing with, assigning, or escorting to a seat.

2. the arrangement of seats in a theater, stadium, etc.

3. material for seats, especially upholstery.

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adjective

1. of or relating to seats or those who are sitting.

   the seating plan of a theater.

seating British  

/ ˈsiːtɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of providing with a seat or seats

2. 1. the provision of seats, as in a theatre, cinema, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      seating arrangements

3. material used for covering or making seats

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• seatings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of seating

First recorded in 1590–1600; seat + -ing ¹, -ing ²

Explanation

The noun seating means the available seats in a room or area, so a theater could have seating for 100. Seating is also the action of helping people find their seats, or the specified time when people sit down. If the first seating for dinner happens at six and the second at eight, it means that the dinner will be served in two sections, with half the guests sitting down to eat at each seating. And when a sports arena has special seating for disabled fans, it means that there are seats accommodating people who use wheelchairs or are otherwise affected by a disability.

Example Sentences

TfL's Priority Seating Week, now in its eighth year, will also include events across the network and the introduction of stickers on DLR train doors to highlight accessibility bays.

From BBC • May 11, 2026

Appeared in the January 21, 2026, print edition as 'United’s Profit Gets Boost From Premium Seating'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

Seating stretches from the back of the diner’s long dining room to the caged, cash-only checkout register.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2025

Re: Seating: Unless you are having a formal sit-down dinner, you do not need seating charts!

From Washington Post • Mar. 25, 2023

Seating myself in my next class, I felt warm, shaken.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli

Related Words

• accommodation