going

noun go·ing \ ˈgō-iŋ , ˈgȯ(-)iŋ \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of going

1 : an act or instance of going

2 goings plural : behavior, actions

for his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings
—Job 34:21 (King James Version)

3 : the condition of the ground (as for walking)

4 : advance toward an objective

when the going gets tough

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Examples of going in a Sentence

Debris in the street made the going difficult.
The going got better as we neared the town.
She wrote four books in two years, and that's pretty good going by any standards!

Recent Examples of going from the Web

Reporters and photographers camped out at his suburban Virginia home, monitoring his comings and goings.

— joan biskupic, CNN, "As Supreme Court term nears end, a time for justices to watch their footing," 12 May 2018
Today, photos of Pippa and any news about her goings on are rare.

— kate storey, Town & Country, "The Real Reason Pippa Middleton Has Disappeared From the Spotlight," 5 Feb. 2018
Even today, 70% of Beijingers believe the lottery involves dodgy goings-on.

— The Economist, "Why a licence plate costs more than a car in Shanghai," 19 Apr. 2018
Created by Reinhold Weege and airing from 1984 to 1992, the series featured Anderson as the goofy but good-hearted ringmaster amid the frequently absurd goings-on at an after-hours Manhattan criminal court.

— chris barton, latimes.com, "'Night Court' star Harry Anderson dies at 65," 17 Apr. 2018
Ultimately, the goings-on at this commune turned deadly serious.

— win mccormack, The New Republic, "How the group at the center of the Netflix documentary Wild, Wild Country lost control in Oregon," 12 Apr. 2018
Their daily columns about the fantastic goings-on and all-too-human foibles among Houston’s society set were must-reads, offering the inside scoop on the rich and famous.

— clifford pugh, Houston Chronicle, "Remembering Betsy Parish, one of Houston’s favorite social scribes," 6 Apr. 2018
After all the horrible, scandalous goings-on at Baylor, football coach Art Briles got 15.1 million zops for getting canned.

— nick canepa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "NFL’s new, stricter helmet rule noble in spirit, futile in practice," 31 Mar. 2018
Much of the action occurred in full view, with blanket TV coverage of chaotic Senate goings-on.

— Washington Post, "Skulduggery in Pakistan’s Senate races sets stage for chaotic general election," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'going.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of going

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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going Synonyms

going

adjective

Definition of going

1 a : that goes —often used in combination

easygoing

outgoing

b : working, moving

everything was in going order

2 : living, existing

the best novelist going

3 : current, prevailing

going price

4 : conducting business with the expectation of indefinite continuance

a going concern

— going on

: drawing near to : approaching

is six years old going on seven

See going defined for English-language learners

Examples of going in a Sentence

He's the best novelist going.
what's the going price for a good used washing machine?

Recent Examples of going from the Web

The going rate runs from $1 to $2 a signature—more than that as the filing deadline nears.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "News / Politics With nine candidates for mayor now in the race, expect the hustle for signatures to be harder than ever," 10 May 2018
What results is a thoughtful, easy-going project that is sure to give you newfound love for not just Sade, but everything Mark has to offer.

— kathryn lindsay, refinery29.com, "Amber Mark's Exclusive New Music Video Is An Ode to Sade," 4 May 2018
Konzen said the attire is included to demonstrate how going to church in the late 19th and early 20 centuries was a very formal event.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Orland Park's growth mirrored by moves, expansion of its houses of worship," 11 Apr. 2018
That curiosity and his easy-going manner were on display as Goldner met with Fortune recently at the International Toy Fair in New York.

— susie gharib, Fortune, "Hasbro's Toy Chest Fills Up Thanks to Inspiring Leadership," 9 Apr. 2018
Lower-cost guiding companies, some founded by Westerners and others by Nepalese, slowly gained traction by offering Everest climbs for as little as a third of the going rate among high-end outfitters.

— alan arnette, Outside Online, "We Can Make Everest Safer. Too Bad No One's Trying.," 9 Apr. 2018
Despite the easy-going nature of the contest, Elliott, playing linebacker, apparently was eager for some contact.

— peter dawson, star-telegram, "Watch Ezekiel Elliott dominate at Quavo's Huncho Day flag football game | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 2 Apr. 2018
His smile was unforgettable, and his easy-going disposition endeared everyone to him.

— courant.com, "Brian Thomas Bentley," 20 Mar. 2018
Just kind of goes about his business, but an easy-going guy. Gets along with everybody.

— james crepea, AL.com, "Auburn in for another battle of guards with Clemson in second round of NCAA Tournament," 17 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of going

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

going Synonyms

Synonyms

active, alive, functional, functioning, live, living, on, operating, operational, operative, running, working;

Antonyms

broken, dead, inactive, inoperative, kaput (also kaputt), nonactivated, nonfunctional, nonfunctioning, nonoperating, nonoperational, nonoperative;

Near Antonyms

deactivated, decommissioned;

ineffective, ineffectual, useless;

inoperable, unusable, unworkable;

arrested, asleep, dormant, fallow, idle, inert, latent, lifeless, nonproductive, quiescent, sleepy, stagnating, unproductive, vegetating;

Related Words

effective, effectual;

employable, operable, usable (also useable), viable, workable;

performing, producing, productive, serving, useful, yielding;

astir, bustling, busy, dynamic, flourishing, humming, roaring, thriving;

Phrases

in commission (or into commission), in force, in gear, on line;

GOING Defined for English Language Learners

going

noun

Definition of going for English Language Learners

: the act of leaving a place
: the condition of the ground for walking, running, etc.
—used to describe a situation in which you are trying to make progress or do something