- present participle of go.
going
Americannoun
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goings
plural
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the act of leaving or departing; departure.
a safe going and quick return.
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the condition of surfaces, as those of roads, for walking or driving.
After the heavy rain, the going was bad.
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progress; advancement.
With such slow going, the work is behind schedule.
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Usually goings. behavior; conduct; deportment.
adjective
-
moving or working, as machinery.
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active, alive, or existing.
-
continuing to operate or do business, especially in a successful manner.
a going company.
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current; prevalent; usual.
What is the going price of good farmland in this area?
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leaving; departing.
idioms
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going away, by a wide margin, especially as established in the late stages of a contest.
The champion won the bout going away.
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get going, to begin; get started.
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going on,
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nearly; almost.
It's going on four o'clock.
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happening.
What's going on here?
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continuing; lasting.
That party has been going on all night.
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noun
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a departure or farewell
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the condition of a surface such as a road or field with regard to walking, riding, etc
muddy going
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informal speed, progress, etc
we made good going on the trip
adjective
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thriving (esp in the phrase a going concern )
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current or accepted, as from past negotiations or commercial operation
the going rate for electricians
the going value of the firm
-
(postpositive) available
the best going
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a statement by an auctioneer that the bidding has finished
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of going
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; see go 1, -ing 1, -ing 2
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:
“We’re going to ask those guys to do that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
"Even parents who feel they couldn't look after a child at that point find it particularly brutal that they're going to have no contact, or very little contact, with that child until they're 18."
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
AI agents going rogue and ever-louder doomsday warnings have led many in Europe to wonder: are the EU's artificial intelligence rules enough to protect against the potential dangers?
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
“For the first time, it’s not like this thing’s going to happen. It’s actually happening.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
"There are no arms, just the sails going with the wind."
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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Mr. McMullan is an effective antidote to the more bilious goings on—the acting is much more flamboyant in the Atticus story than in Susan’s, which is less entertaining than distracting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Sitting on the porch of a state-run grocery store in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Joaquin Velazquez watches the comings and goings at the private mini-market next door.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Since then, an excavation saw scientists uncover hundreds of footprints at the site which they believe reveal the comings and goings of Cetiosaurus - a huge sauropod.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Meyer owns and operates the Record, managing a staff of only seven that reports on the comings and goings of the city of Marion’s 1,900 or so residents.
From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2025
"Trying? You think I haven't watched your comings and goings? You've been at the Globe every day, and you've nothing to show for it!"
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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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.