aborning

American

[uh-bawr-ning] / əˈbɔr nɪŋ /

adverb

in birth; before being carried out.

The scheme died aborning.

adjective

being born; coming into being, fruition, realization, etc..

A new era of architecture is aborning.

aborning British

/ əˈbɔːnɪŋ /

adverb

while being born, developed, or realized (esp in the phrase die aborning )

"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 aborning

1930–35; a- ¹ + borning irregular for being born; see born, -ing ²

Vocabulary lists containing aborning

Developing

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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.

The manufacturing revival is still aborning, for example, with only 5,000 new jobs after months of declines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

On the Australian Embassy, the vertical ribs are the russet color of new copper, just aborning.

From Washington Post • Oct. 17, 2022

The wish for a movie museum, long aborning in status-conscious Hollywood, found a home.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2021

But before a single plane could get off the ground, Kelleher had to fight the incumbent carriers — Braniff, Texas International and Continental — which were determined to kill it aborning.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2019

The Homer she had first known, when the El Hassan scheme was still aborning, had thought of himself as a member of a team.

From Border, Breed Nor Birth by Reynolds, Mack

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023