seating

American  

[see-ting] / ˈsi tɪŋ /

noun

1. an act or instance of furnishing with, assigning, or escorting to a seat.

2. the arrangement of seats in a theater, stadium, etc.

3. material for seats, especially upholstery.

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adjective

1. of or relating to seats or those who are sitting.

   the seating plan of a theater.

seating British  

/ ˈsiːtɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of providing with a seat or seats

2. 1. the provision of seats, as in a theatre, cinema, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      seating arrangements

3. material used for covering or making seats

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Etymology

Origin of seating

First recorded in 1590–1600; seat + -ing ¹, -ing ²

Explanation

The noun seating means the available seats in a room or area, so a theater could have seating for 100. Seating is also the action of helping people find their seats, or the specified time when people sit down. If the first seating for dinner happens at six and the second at eight, it means that the dinner will be served in two sections, with half the guests sitting down to eat at each seating. And when a sports arena has special seating for disabled fans, it means that there are seats accommodating people who use wheelchairs or are otherwise affected by a disability.

Example Sentences

He tells Newsbeat it was fans with cheaper tickets and seating further back who seemed to have the better view.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

Beds are surrounded by animal-print seating, parquet oak flooring, marble tables, mirrored cabinets and custom wallpaper.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

But there was always the promise—and certainly the hope—that the reconfigured Castro could still accommodate screenings by installing temporary raked seating in the orchestra section to replace the tables.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Since last year, it has added baggage fees and ended a half-century of open seating, charging more for extra legroom and preferred locations.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

When we got there they were still cleaning up and placing seating in a circle, facing inward towards the center of the space.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Related Words

• accommodation