surfing

American  

[sur-fing] / ˈsɜr fɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or sport of riding the surf, as on a surfboard.

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surfing British  

/ ˈsɜːfɪŋ /

noun

1. the sport of riding towards shore on the crest of a wave by standing or lying on a surfboard

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Other Word Forms

• surfer noun

Etymology

Origin of surfing

First recorded in 1915–20; surf + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

I still recall the promise of new-millennium digital iconography, when knowledge fused with access, and posters with images of kids surfing on textbooks down the information superhighway adorned school computer rooms.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

Seniors Tommy Spalding, Vaughan Flahert and Carter Mirabal have brains, brawn and surfing skills to make it to MIT.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Later, the "rose gold" variant of the iPhone 6S in 2015, spawned many copycats, surfing a years-long trend dubbed "millennial pink".

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

“This is for crazy people,” Ms. Andrade remembers thinking when she started surfing there in 2014.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

They were “smart” because they could do so many things beyond calling, like texting, emailing, surfing the Internet, playing games.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel