Showing results for "pacing"

• present participle of pace.

pacing

American  

[pey-sing] / ˈpeɪ sɪŋ /

noun

• pacings
  plural

1. the act or result of setting the rate of movement or progress, as of a story, movie, lesson, etc..

   The pacing of a video presentation must be appropriate; too slow is just as common (and as bad) as too fast.

2. the act of walking back and forth, as to expend nervous energy.

   For several minutes after she entered, he continued his restless pacing to and fro as if unaware of her presence.

3. the act of walking with slow, regular steps.

   Above my head, at intervals, I heard the pacing of the sentry upon the roof.

4. the act or process of measuring something by counting the steps taken to walk its length at a normal stride.

   Though surveyors find it a quick and easy way to measure distance in the field, accurate pacing can only be accomplished by practice.

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adjective

1. walking back and forth, as to expend nervous energy.

   I tried to focus my attention on anything but the rapidly pacing detective, who was deep in thought.

2. walking with slow, regular steps.

   Seeing the pacing security guard in front of the sliding doors, she looked around quickly for another way out.

3. (of a horse or other animal) moving in such a way that the feet on the same side are lifted and put down together.

   A pacing horse will swing its head from side to side as opposed to up and down.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pacings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pacing

First recorded in 1450–1500; pac(e) ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; pac(e) ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pacing pacings

A barrage of newly concocted action sequences in the second half makes the pacing so off-balance that the film feels like a heron trying to fly with one blinged-out wing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Roared on by a 25,000-strong capacity crowd at the Zurich Diamond League, the Swiss hit the final 100m almost in stride with the infield pacing lights which had been set for a world record.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

And its pacing problems still haven’t been solved — too many plot points feel rushed, while others are drawn out to the point of tedium, even with the series’ conclusion within sight.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

Because proven therapies remain scarce, most medical recommendations focus on supportive strategies, including activity pacing and management of individual symptoms.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

She kept pacing back and forth by her cellar door.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Much of Mr. Roberts’s movement for that quartet of dancers, despite some upper-body torsioning and unison pacings, presents repeated articulations for their arms, suggesting the flapping of wings, which grows monotonous.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025

The rising United Kingdom-based bandleader Nala Sinephro plays harp and electronics, with a pull toward weightless sounds and meditative pacings, so comparisons to Alice Coltrane are inevitable.

From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2021

In the 20th century, technology made it ever easier to regulate the production of sound, with electronic music allowing for perfectly even pacings.

From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2017

Once, in the midst of his pacings, he fell right off his platform.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Well?” he said, stopping short in his pacings up and down, and regarding her with an anxious gaze, “what luck?”

From Sisters Three by Stanley Lloyd