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

In tight quarters—city streets, parking decks, drive-thrus—the rear steering allows the Vistiq to go around corners like a cat winding around an owner’s ankles.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Hollywood, there’s an old joke among wannabe actors scraping by doing odd jobs between auditions: “Well, right now I’m parking cars, but what I really want to do is direct!”

From Salon

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges the school failed to make safety improvements to the parking lot despite previous complaints from parents about how student dismissal was handled.

From Los Angeles Times

Familiar local businesses are now empty parking lots.

From Los Angeles Times

Her report also confirmed the gardens of the two properties were physically separated with a fence and separate parking areas.

From BBC

Related Words

• embracing