fingering

[ fing-ger-ing ]

/ ˈfɪŋ gər ɪŋ /

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See synonyms for fingering on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of a person who fingers.

Music.

the action or method of using the fingers in playing on an instrument.
the indication of the way the fingers are to be used in performing a piece of music.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of fingering

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at finger, -ing¹

Words nearby fingering

finger food, finger-fuck, finger gate, finger grass, finger hole, fingering, finger in the pie, have a, Finger Lakes, fingerling, finger man, finger mark

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fingering in a sentence

It's done by false fingering and adjusting your lips and if it's done right you get triads.
The Stacks: John Coltrane’s Mighty Musical Quest|Nat Hentoff|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe the administration has private intelligence fingering the regime.
Is Bombing Syria Obama’s Best Bad Option?|Michael Tomasky|August 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He also lashed out at Curtis and his attorneys for fingering him.
Paul Kevin Curtis and J. Everett Dutschke: Epic Feud and Ricin Letters|Winston Ross|April 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In politics, the flip-flopper label is deemed deadly, the fingering of a candidate with no fixed principles.
Romney’s Secret Signals May Convince Voters He’s Truly Center-Right|Howard Kurtz|April 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Short Cut pointed, but the girl was already fingering the fringes of his bulletproof vest.
The Amazing Superheroes of New York City|Matthew Shaer|August 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
"So that is Jim Poindexter, the bloody villain," muttered the boy between his set teeth, and nervously fingering his revolver.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
"Skull ain't broke," replied Texas, fingering the wound as roughly as if it had been in the flesh of a beast.
Overland|John William De Forest
I fell to fingering these with the same impulse of thoughtlessness that induces people to bite their finger-nails.
A Little Union Scout|Joel Chandler Harris
While thus engaged I suddenly became aware of the fact that the young fellow was fingering at the worn place on the chair-arm.
A Little Union Scout|Joel Chandler Harris
Gutmann told me that his master's playing was particularly smooth, and his fingering calculated to attain this result.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks

British Dictionary definitions for fingering (1 of 2)

fingering¹

/ (ˈfɪŋɡərɪŋ) /

noun

the technique or art of using one's fingers in playing a musical instrument, esp the piano

the numerals in a musical part indicating this

British Dictionary definitions for fingering (2 of 2)

fingering²

/ (ˈfɪŋɡərɪŋ) /

noun

fine wool for knitting

Word Origin for fingering

C17: from earlier fingram, perhaps from Old French fin grain fine grain

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

fingering

Origin of fingering

Words nearby fingering

Words related to fingering

How to use fingering in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fingering (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for fingering (2 of 2)

Word Origin for fingering