Meanings
going1
- in compoundsAttending or visiting (a stated event, place, etc.) habitually or regularly.
theatre-going, church-going, movie-going
plural goings
- countableuncountableA departure.
Māna-Yood-Sushāī was before the beginning of the gods, and shall be after their going. […] After the going of the gods there will be no small worlds nor big.
1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC1 more example
But he found it strange to think […] of all these little things that cluster round the comings, and the stayings, and the goings, that he would know nothing of them, nothing of what they had been, as long as he lived, […]
1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC - countableuncountableThe suitability of ground for riding, walking etc.
The going was very difficult over the ice.
- countablefigurativelyuncountableConditions for advancing in any way.
Not only were the streets not paved with gold, but the going was difficult for an immigrant.
- countablein pluraluncountableCourse of life; behaviour; doings; ways.
His eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 34:21 - countableuncountableThe whereabouts (of something).
I can't find my sunglasses; you haven't seen the going of them, have you?
- countableuncountableThe horizontal distance between the front of one step in a flight of stairs and the front of the next.
Each step had a rise of 170 mm and a going of 250 mm.
- especiallynot comparableAvailable.
He has the easiest job going.
1 more example
Craig: Did you look at Tudor life? did you do a lot of studying about that? Natalie: Yeah, I was really geeky about it, I read every single book that was going.
2013, Natalie Dormer, interview on, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
Going2
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivein full operation
nouneuphemistic expressions for death
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishgoing
- Proto-Germanic*gēną
- Proto-Germanic*gēndz
- Old Englishgānde
- Middle Englishgoinge
- Englishgoing
Verb form from Middle English goinge, goynge, gayng, variants of gonde, goonde, gaand, from Old English gānde, from Proto-Germanic *gēndz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *gēną, *gāną (“to go”), equivalent to go + -ing. Cognate with West Frisian geanend (“going”), Dutch gaand (“going”), German gehend (“going”), Danish gående (“going”), Swedish gående (“going”). Noun and adjective from Middle English going, goyng, gaing, gayng, equivalent to go + -ing. Compare German Gehung, Old English gang (“a going”). More at gang.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish käyvä, lähtö
- käyväattending habitually or regularly
- lähtödeparture
- menodeparture
- edistysprogress
- menoprogress
- menoconditions for advancing
- menocourse of life, doings, ways
- mahdollinenlikely to continue; viable
- nykyinencurrent, prevailing
- mitä onavailable
German Fortschritt, Weiterkommen
- Fortschrittprogress
- Weiterkommenconditions for advancing
- geltendcurrent, prevailing
Hindi व्रजन, चालू
- व्रजन (vrajan)departure
- चालू (cālū)progress
Hungarian aktuális
- aktuáliscurrent, prevailing
Latin itio
- itioprogress
Polish chodzący, odejście
- chodzącyattending habitually or regularly
- odejściedeparture
- odjazddeparture
- odlotdeparture
- postępprogress
- warunkiconditions for advancing
- sposobycourse of life, doings, ways
- realnylikely to continue; viable
- bieżącycurrent, prevailing
- dostępnyavailable
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with going
Cite this entry
going. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/going
“going.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/going. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “going,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/going.
Source: going on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.