- present participle of christen.
christening
Americannoun
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christenings
plural
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the ceremony of baptism, especially as accompanied by the giving of a name to a child.
-
a public ceremony in which a new ship is formally named and launched.
-
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.
See Examples For:
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
Doris was known for her frankness, as well as for refusing to make the salad for Neil the Baby's christening.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2025
So we started up a specialty business of children’s christening gowns.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
The houseboat is safe, as is the Windmill Chapel, where weddings, christenings and memorials are held.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2025
Sunday’s private ceremony, which took place at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, was to celebrate two family christenings, according to the PA report.
From Reuters ● Nov. 21, 2021
That weekend in October, the Roman Catholic diocese of Catania enacted a three-year ban on the ancient tradition of naming godparents at baptisms and christenings.
From New York Times ● Oct. 16, 2021
The earliest date for this will be 17 May when “a broader range of stand-alone life events” including christenings, may also be allowed.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2021
Before long he was entertaining our daughters by taking them to ship christenings.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
