tiding

noun tid·ing \ ˈtī-diŋ \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of tiding

: a piece of news —usually used in plural

good tidings

tiding was our Word of the Day on 12/25/2011. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of tiding from the Web

And the Decemberists proved bearers of bad tidings.

— bob gendron, chicagotribune.com, "Wit and whimsy ever present at Decemberists' Chicago Theatre show," 11 Apr. 2018
Soon reinforced by Howe’s fleet, the defenders held out until February 1783, when tidings of peace finally ended the epic siege.

— stephen brumwell, WSJ, "‘Gibraltar’ Review: When the Rock Was a Hard Place," 3 Apr. 2018
Taking good tidings for granted, Uruguayans are focusing on their discontents.

— The Economist, "Uruguay’s record-setting economic growth streak," 28 Mar. 2018
The new model will come on the market at the end of the month, The extensive improvement won’t amount to glad tidings where Ford and Chevy’s full-size pickups are built.

— al haas, Philly.com, "Redesigned 2019 Ram delivers off-roading in quiet comfort," 19 Mar. 2018
In the Stelvio, this engine teams with ZF’s slick, eight-speed automatic gearbox to send its glad tidings to all four wheels.

— al haas, Philly.com, "2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio: As fun as its unusual name," 10 Feb. 2018
Such economic tidings, environmentalists hope, will push India to finally rise above its fractious politics and fragile institutions to tackle endemic pollution.

— brook larmer, New York Times, "What Does It Take to Stop Accepting Pollution as the Price of Progress?," 23 Jan. 2018
Former President Barack Obama got in the Christmas spirit over the weekend, sending good tidings to his Twitter followers in the form of an Obama family photo.

— lauren rearick, Teen Vogue, "Barack Obama Shares His Family Holiday Card on Social Media," 26 Dec. 2017
Now, on the 10th, viewers will get to tour the home and step inside The Blue Room (where the official White House Christmas Tree stands), The Red Room, and East Colonnade, and watch all of their seasonal tidings come together.

— Southern Living, "HGTV Is Airing Its White House Christmas Special This Week, and You Won't Want to Miss It," 4 Dec. 2017

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

Did You Know?

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."