tidings
Americannoun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of tidings
First recorded before 1100; Middle English; Old English tīdung “announcement, news item”; cognate with Dutch tijding, German Zeitung “newspaper, news”; akin to Old Norse tīthindi “news, events”; see origin at tide 2, -ing 1
Explanation
Tidings is an old-fashioned word for recent news. If someone says "I bring you good tidings!" it means they have information to share that you'll probably like. Even though this word appears to be related to tide, tidings is actually thought to come from the Old English word tidan, which means "to happen." This term is a little unusual since it’s almost always in the plural form; you would never say, "I bring you a good tiding"!
Vocabulary lists containing tidings
Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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Words for Carolers
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Mythology
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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.
A lone shepherd respectfully doffs his hat as he finds himself in the presence of an angel trailing a long message: “I bring you tidings of great joy . . . ”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
As the holiday season ramps up and the new year approaches, the tidings have been mixed for dividend investors.
From Barron's ● Dec. 11, 2025
As we round out another frustrating year of air travel, it might appear that we’re headed into the Christmas season with bad tidings still to come.
From Slate ● Dec. 16, 2024
More than a year after the Russian invasion, a British humanitarian aid worker who traveled often to Ukraine returned to his Stratford base, bearing — with a measure of Shakespearean brio — extraordinary tidings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2024
But Ser Brus and Ser Malegom were on hand, entertaining such brothers as had gathered with the latest tidings from Eastwatch and beyond the sea.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
