- present participle of christen.
christening
Americannoun
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the ceremony of baptism, especially as accompanied by the giving of a name to a child.
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a public ceremony in which a new ship is formally named and launched.
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an act or instance of naming or dedicating something new.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of christening
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at christen, -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing christening
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.
They enact for their confused rescuer the story of the forgotten fairy at the christening, the curse and the spindle—and then go back to sleep.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
They took custody just after the baby was born, christening the little girl Sarah Frances Newby.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025
Bitcoin had risen nine out of the previous 11 Octobers before this year, according to Dow Jones Market Data, leading to some bulls christening the month “Uptober.”
From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025
And pretty quickly thereafter, some slamming winter rains did their own kind of christening and Prospect Bar got washed away, to be replaced almost at once by the even more grandly named Eldoradoville.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2025
Who did the Cossacks need to go to if they wanted to open their churches for a christening service or for a marriage or a funeral?
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
