going on Wikipedia




Etymology 1Edit

go +‎ -ing

Alternative formsEdit



  1. present participle of go

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle English, present participle of gon


going (plural goings)

  1. A departure.
    • Thy going is not lonely, with thee goes thy Husband
  2. The suitability of ground for riding, walking etc.
    The going was very difficult over the ice.
  3. progress
    We made good going for a while, but then we came to the price.
  4. (figuratively) Conditions for advancing in any way.
    Not only were the streets not paved with gold, but the going was difficult for an immigrant.
  5. (obsolete) pregnancy; gestation; childbearing
  6. (in the plural) Course of life; behaviour; doings; ways.
    • Bible, Job 34.21:


going (not comparable)

  1. Likely to continue; viable.
  2. That attends habitually or regularly.
  3. Current, prevailing.
    The going rate for manual snow-shoveling is $25 an hour.
  4. (especially after a noun phrase with a superlative) Available.
    He has the easiest job going.
    • 2013, Natalie Dormer, interview on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson:
      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.
Derived termsEdit

See alsoEdit


Most common English words before 1923: night · mind · heart · #204: going · knew · seen · better