- present participle of tick.
ticking
Americannoun
-
a strong cotton fabric, usually twilled, used especially in making cloth ticks.
-
a similar cloth in satin weave or Jacquard, used especially for mattress covers.
noun
Etymology
Origin of ticking
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.
Nelson is lost amid a series of avalanches, and the clock starts ticking.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
It took just over a minute for Keilee Joseph to get the scoreboard ticking after the restart and the scores kept coming from Sergis, Chapman, Joseph again and Church.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
While Meta didn’t share any information on capital expenditures for 2027, spending is likely to continue ticking upward.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
That year, the country was home to 35.7% of the personal wealth in the world, ticking up from nearly 35% in 2024, UBS found in its analysis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
He says it into the night air without the ticking clock or the hawk’s eyes.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.