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gardening

American  
[gahrd-ning] / ˈgɑrd nɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of cultivating or tending a garden.

  2. the work or art of a gardener.

gardening British  
/ ˈɡɑːdənɪŋ /

noun

    1. the planning and cultivation of a garden

    2. ( as modifier )

      gardening gloves
"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 gardening

First recorded in 1570–80; garden + -ing 1

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.

I think people will be very bored with screen time in 20 years, so we will have moved back to fishing, reading books, gardening, playing real guitars and pianos, taking walks, and enjoying family cookouts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Whether you love gardening or simply enjoy beautiful landscapes and meeting other plant lovers, these tours offer plenty of ideas you can use long after your visit.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

So she started turning to things that force her to "slow down and be really present, like gardening, reading, playing piano".

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

He and his husband, Raúl Domingo, who have been together since meeting through a Missed Connections ad on Craigslist in 2005, grew interested in gardening during Covid lockdowns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

They kept to themselves as much as possible, gardening, raising chickens and pigs and goats and even some sheep, only going down the slope to the village out of necessity.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

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.