pending
Americanpreposition
-
while awaiting; until.
pending his return.
-
in the period before the decision or conclusion of; during.
pending the negotiations.
adjective
-
remaining undecided; awaiting decision or settlement; unfinished.
pending business; pending questions; pending litigation.
-
about to take place; impending.
preposition
adjective
-
not yet decided, confirmed, or finished
what are the matters pending?
-
imminent
these developments have been pending for some time
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pending
1635–45; pend + -ing 2, on the model of French pendant ( see pendent)
Explanation
If something is supposed to happen but hasn’t happened yet, it is pending, like the pending snowstorm that has everyone scrambling to the store for bread and milk. The word pending comes from the French pendant, meaning “hanging.” If someone leaves you hanging, you are waiting for a call, a message, a visit — whatever the thing is that's supposed to happen. Pending is a good word to use when something has to happen before something else — like if you are learning to drive, maybe you'll have a car of your own soon, pending your success at passing the test.
Vocabulary lists containing pending
The Westing Game
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A Lesson Before Dying
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The Atlantic Charter - Churchill/Roosevelt (1941)
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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.
After the crash, a fundraising drive allowed him to post bail and be released pending trial, infuriating the Carter family.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
The impact of Indonesia’s new agrarian reform law remains pending on landholding limits, conflict resolution and the powers of a new land-reform agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The man had been charged, but was later released pending further inquiries without appearing in court.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
For some of them, where there were already pending habeas proceedings, for example, I would reach out to opposing counsel to see if they had any knowledge as to where my client was.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
Or he might have a deprivation order pending against him; in cases of outrageous misbehavior, a keeplock who was a “threat to security” could have his rec taken away for a day by a sergeant.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
