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Good tidings we bring to you and your kin, goes a line from the popular 16th-century carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Another carol, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (1833), speaks of "tidings of comfort and joy." Although there is nothing inherent in the meaning or origin of "tiding" that specifically pertains to Christmas (it derives via Middle English from Old English and relates to betide, meaning "to happen especially by fate"), we most often see the word in contexts pertaining to the Christmas season. The most notable usage, perhaps, occurs in Luke 2:10 of the King James Bible, when the angel delivers the news of the arrival of the Savior: "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."
Synonyms
Examples of tiding in a Sentence
José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2023
There’s a chill in the air, leaves litter the ground, and houses up and down on your street are decked out with ghouls, goblins and all manner of grim tidings.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 26 Oct. 2023
Wish wishes for a peaceful and safe week and good tidings for all of the people of Israel.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2023
That’s grim tidings for the more than 2 million people trapped within the Gaza Strip, roughly half of whom are children.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
With less than a week to go before the track and field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Monday brought grim tidings for American distance running, to say the least.
—Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, 15 June 2021
Double rainbows are believed to symbolize good tidings, new beginnings, promise and even comfort for the dead, according to several online publications.
—Sydney Borchers, Fox News, 14 Sep. 2023
Those tidings come just when the Fed’s taking its eye off the real-interest rate altimeter that’s flashing red.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2023
Last year, the app teamed up with Santa and Mrs. Claus to offer good tidings — and good navigation — for the festive season.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tiding.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English, from Old English tīdung, from tīdan to betide
12th century, in the meaning defined above
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Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
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Cite this Entry
“Tiding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiding. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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