surfacing

American

[sur-fuh-sing] / ˈsɜr fə sɪŋ /

noun

the action or process of giving a finished surface to something.
the material with which something is surfaced.
the act or an instance of rising to the surface of a body of water.

Etymology

Origin of surfacing

First recorded in 1855–60; surface + -ing ¹

Vocabulary lists containing surfacing

Developing

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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.

If the same concern keeps surfacing in different forms, the conversation hasn’t actually happened yet.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

Chatbots have evolved from simple assistants into chatty companions, image generators have become dangerously good at making photorealistic content and new advanced models are said to be surfacing decades-old software bugs.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

The move is aimed at streamlining the pre-dispute process and prevent disputes by surfacing transaction details, improve confidence in dispute resolution outcomes, and unify dispute workflows into a centralized platform.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Introducing a surprise antagonist has long been a key ingredient of the WWE recipe, and at this point Brady surfacing is all but expected.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

Emerging from prayer is like surfacing from underwater.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023