✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

doing

noun

do·​ing ˈdü-iŋ How to pronounce doing (audio)
1
: the act of performing or executing : action
that will take a great deal of doing
2
doings plural
a
: things that are done or that occur : goings-on
everyday doings
b
: social activities

Examples of doing in a Sentence

It's the doing of the good deed that is important, not the thanks you receive. is that mess in the kitchen your doing?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What on earth is a dating app doing, creating a literary magazine, even more so such a gorgeous one? Julia Hass, Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025 When the human actually goes in to look at it, what is the human doing? Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025 This mess of a horror movie and its director’s mystifying track record in the genre is your doing, too! Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Nov. 2025 So, what exactly is this woman in Trillion doing? Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for doing

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of doing was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Doing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doing. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

doing

noun
do·​ing ˈdü-iŋ How to pronounce doing (audio)
1
: the act of performing or carrying out : action
it will take some doing to beat us
2
plural
a
: things that are done or that occur
everyday doings
b
: social activities
big doings tonight

More from Merriam-Webster on doing

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!