-ing

/ɪŋ//ɪn//ən//ɪŋɡ/

suffix

As true nouns.

“I like meeting people.”

Similar
-tion-ment-ery-age
OriginMiddle English -ing ← Old English -ing ← Proto-West Germanic *-ingu →
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Meanings

-ing1

suffix-ing (noun-forming suffix, countable and uncountable, plural -ings)

plural -ings · alternative colloquial -in' · alternative colloquial -in · alternative nonstandard rare -ïng

  1. Used to form nouns or noun-like words (or elements of noun phrases) from verbs, denoting the act of doing something, an action, or the embodiment of an action.
    1. countableuncountableAs true nouns.

      My hearing is not good.

      1 more example

      I have had several meetings with him.

    2. countableuncountableAs gerunds.

      I like meeting people.

      3 more examples

      Smoking marijuana cigarettes daily is bad for your health.

      She has a habit of sleeping late.

      There's no escaping the fact that the bodywork needs painting.

  2. countableuncountableUsed to form nouns denoting materials or systems of objects which are used or employed in an action, or considered collectively.

    Roofing is material that is used to roof.

    2 more examples

    Clothing is material with which one is clothed.

    The piping is a system of pipes considered collectively.

-ing2

suffix

alternative colloquial -in' · alternative colloquial -in · alternative nonstandard rare -ïng

  1. Used to form present participles of verbs.

    Rolling stones gather no moss.

    5 more examples

    My new cabin, which is going to look over the lake, is getting a brand new roof this winter.

    I wondered what time the play was starting.

    Anybody touching this wire will get a deadly shock.

    When it occurred, I was flying to New York a great deal.

    She told us they were skiing in Burgos the following week.

-ing3

suffix

alternative colloquial -in' · alternative colloquial -in · alternative nonstandard rare -ïng

  1. idiomaticForming derivative nouns (originally masculine), with the sense ‘son of, belonging to’, as in placenames, patronymics or diminutives; -ite.

    Browning, Channing, Ewing

    4 more examples

    Ealing, Dorking, Reading, Worthing

    Middle English *bunt + -ing → bunting

    skill + -ing → shilling

    fourth + -ing → farthing

  2. Forming nouns having a specified quality, characteristic, or nature; of the kind of

    geld + -ing → gelding

    2 more examples

    sweet + -ing → sweeting

    white + -ing → whiting

Synonyms & antonyms

act of doing something, action

Similar
-tion-ment

activity

Similar
-ery

collection

Similar
-age
Also see
-age-ery-ment-th

Origin

-ing · suffix

  1. Proto-Germanic*-ingō, *-ungō“-ing”
  2. Proto-West Germanic*-ingu
  3. Old English-ing
  4. Middle English-ing
  5. English-ing

Inherited from Middle English -ing, -yng, -ynge, from Old English -ing, -ung (“-ing”, suffix forming nouns from verbs), from Proto-West Germanic *-ingu, *-ungu, from Proto-Germanic *-ingō, *-ungō (“-ing”). Cognates Cognate with Scots -in, -in', -ing (“-ing”), Yola -een (“-ing”), Saterland Frisian -enge (“-ing”), Dutch -ing (“-ing”), German and Luxembourgish -ung (“-ing”), Danish -ing, -ning (“-ing”), Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish -ing (“-ing”), French -ange (“-ing”). Unrelated to Brahui -اِنْگ (-iṅg, “a suffix used to form infinitive or verbal noun from the base verb; -ing”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

-ing · suffix

  1. Proto-Indo-European*-onts
  2. Proto-Germanic*-andz
  3. Proto-West Germanic*-andī
  4. Old English-ende
  5. Middle English-inge
  6. English-ing

From Middle English -inge, -ynge, alteration of earlier -inde, -ende, -and (see -and), from Old English -ende (present participle ending), from Proto-West Germanic *-andī, from Proto-Germanic *-andz (present participle ending), from Proto-Indo-European *-onts. Cognate with West Frisian -end, Dutch -end, Afrikaans -ende, German -end, Low German -end, Danish -ende, Swedish -ande, Icelandic -andi, Gothic -𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (-ands), -𐍉𐌽𐌳𐍃 (-ōnds), Latin -ans, -ant-, Ancient Greek -ων (-ōn), Sanskrit -अन्त् (-ant), Persian ـنده (-ande), Polish -ący, -ąc, Czech -oucí, Ukrainian -учий (-učyj), Serbo-Croatian -ući/-ући. More at -and.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

-ing · suffix

  1. Proto-Germanic*-ingaz
  2. Proto-West Germanic*-ing
  3. Old English-ing
  4. Middle English-ynge
  5. English-ing

From Middle English -ynge, from Old English -ing, from Proto-West Germanic *-ing, from Proto-Germanic *-ingaz. Akin to Old Norse -ingr.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan -ant, -ent
  • -antto form gerunds
  • -entto form gerunds
  • -intto form gerunds
Chinese Cantonese 緊 /紧, 住
  • 緊 /紧 (gan²)to form present participles
  • 住 (zyu⁶)to form present participles
Chinese Mandarin 著, 着
  • 著to form present participles
  • 着 (zhe)to form present participles
  • 正在 (zhèngzài)to form present participles
Danish -ing, -ing
  • -ingto form gerunds
  • -ingact of doing something
  • -endeto form present participles
Dutch -ing, -werk
  • -ingto form gerunds
  • -werkmaterials, systems of objects
  • -systeemmaterials, systems of objects
  • -ingact of doing something
  • -endto form present participles
Esperanto -ado, -anta
  • -adoto form gerunds
  • -antato form present participles
Estonian -v
  • -vto form present participles
Finnish -minen, -nti
  • -minento form gerunds
  • -ntito form gerunds
  • -minenact of doing something
  • -vato form present participles
  • -väto form present participles
French -age, -age
  • -ageto form gerunds
  • -ageact of doing something
  • -tionact of doing something
  • -mentact of doing something
  • -antto form present participles
German -ung, -end
  • -ungact of doing something
  • -endto form present participles
Hungarian -ó, -ő
  • -óto form present participles
  • -őto form present participles
Icelandic -ing, -andi
  • -ingto form gerunds
  • -andito form present participles
Italian -ando, -endo
  • -andoto form gerunds
  • -endoto form gerunds
  • -turamaterials, systems of objects
  • -zione (-azione f, -uzione f)act of doing something
  • -mentoact of doing something
  • -aggioact of doing something
  • -anteto form present participles
  • -enteto form present participles
Japanese -の, -こと
  • -の (-no)to form gerunds
  • -こと (-koto)to form gerunds
  • ているto form present participles
Latin -ens
  • -ensto form present participles
Malay peng--an, -an
  • peng--anto form gerunds
  • -anmaterials, systems of objects
Norwegian -ing, -ende
  • -ingto form gerunds
  • -endeto form present participles
Norwegian Bokmål -ing
  • -ingact of doing something
Persian ـش
  • ـشto form gerunds
Polish -anie, -cie
  • -anieto form gerunds
  • -cieto form gerunds
  • -nieact of doing something
  • -cieact of doing something
  • -ącyto form present participles
Portuguese -ando, -endo
  • -andoto form gerunds
  • -endoto form gerunds
  • -indoto form gerunds
  • -andoto form present participles
  • -endoto form present participles
  • -indoto form present participles
Romanian -ând, -ind
  • -ândto form gerunds
  • -indto form gerunds
  • -react of doing something
Russian -а́ние, -е́ние
  • -а́ние (-ánije)act of doing something
  • -е́ние (-énije)act of doing something
  • -о́вка (-óvka)act of doing something
  • -ля (-lja)act of doing something
  • -ающий (-ajuščij)to form present participles
  • -ящий (-jaščij)to form present participles
  • -ущий (-uščij)to form present participles
  • -ющий (-juščij)to form present participles
  • -ащий (-aščij)to form present participles
  • -еющий (-ejuščij)to form present participles
  • -ующий (-ujuščij)to form present participles
  • -я́ющий (-jájuščij)to form present participles
  • -щий (-ščij)to form present participles
Spanish -ando, -iendo
  • -andoto form gerunds
  • -iendoto form gerunds
  • -andoto form present participles
  • -yendoto form present participles
  • estar queto form present participles
Swedish -ing, -ande
  • -ingact of doing something
  • -andeto form present participles
  • -endeto form present participles
Tagalog pag-
  • pag-act of doing something
Tamil -அல்
  • -அல் (-al)to form gerunds
Thai การ-, ความ-
  • การ- (gaan-)to form gerunds
  • ความ- (kwaam-)to form gerunds
  • กำลัง (gam-lang)to form present participles
Turkish -yor, -mekte
  • -yorto form gerunds
  • -mekteto form gerunds
  • -maktato form gerunds
  • -maact of doing something
  • -ışact of doing something
  • -iyorto form present participles
  • -yorto form present participles
  • -uyorto form present participles
  • -ıyorto form present participles
  • -üyorto form present participles
  • -ento form present participles
  • -yento form present participles
  • -anto form present participles
  • -yanto form present participles
Yiddish ־ונג
  • ־ונג (-ung)act of doing something

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

inkeeninkeeninkeen
Cite this entry
APA

-ing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ing

MLA

“-ing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ing. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-ing,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ing.

Source: -ing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.