parking

American  

[par-king] / ˈpær kɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that parks, especially a vehicle.

2. space in which to park vehicles, as at a place of business or a public event.

   There's plenty of free parking at the stadium.

3. permission to park vehicles.

   Is there parking on this side of the street?

4. the activity or occupation of a person who operates or works in a parking lot, garage, or the like.

5. parking strip.

6. Informal. the act of kissing and caressing in a parked car.

   Some of the couples went parking on their way home from the dance.

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adjective

1. of, pertaining to, used for, or engaged in parking, especially of vehicles.

   parking regulations; a parking ticket; a parking space; a parking attendant.

Other Word Forms

• unparking
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of parking

First recorded in 1520–30; park + -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

The photos obtained by NBC4 appear to show 40-year-old Ruben Fregoso in a parking garage in San Ysidro with his daughter, Daleza, on Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

Rachel Fordyce used to save money by parking at Ithaca's East Hill Plaza and walking through East Lawn Cemetery on her way to work at a Cornell University entomology lab.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2026

Food was served in a parking lot and a Turkish restaurant was turned into a makeshift office.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

He added: "While inconsiderate parking did not hinder the emergency response on this occasion, in incidents such as this, emergency services require immediate access, and poorly parked vehicles could significantly delay our ability to respond."

From BBC • May 27, 2026

No, he turns into an abandoned parking lot and stops the car haphazardly between two spaces.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• embracing