English Reference
noun

casting

n.
US /ˈkæstɪŋ/ UK /kˈɑːstɪŋ/ cast·ing UK spelling castings

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Theatre

    the process of choosing actors, singers, or dancers for a film or play.

    the act or process of selecting performers for a production. Often used as a modifier in 'casting director' or 'casting call'.

    Simple

    The director spent weeks on casting before finding the perfect lead actor.

    In context

    The casting for the new musical was notoriously rigorous, requiring performers to demonstrate exceptional skills in both classical ballet and contemporary jazz.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Technical

    a way of making an object by pouring hot, liquid metal or plastic into a shaped container called a mold.

    a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is poured into a mold and allowed to solidify. Also refers to the resulting physical object.

    Simple

    The artist created a bronze casting of the clay sculpture.

    In context

    The factory specialised in the casting of engine blocks, using a sand-mold technique that ensured high thermal resistance in the finished components.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    the act of changing a piece of data from one type to another, like turning a number into text.

    the process of converting a value from one data type to another. Often involves explicit syntax to treat an object as a different class or primitive.

    Simple

    You can use casting to turn a decimal number into a whole number in your code.

    In context

    The developer implemented explicit casting to ensure the floating-point result was correctly stored as an integer before the final calculation.

    conversiontype conversion
  4. 04 C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    the waste material left behind by earthworms or the undigested food brought up by birds of prey.

    the excreta of earthworms or the regurgitated pellets of indigestible material from hawks and other raptors.

    Simple

    The gardener noticed worm castings in the soil, which is a sign of healthy earth.

    In context

    Ornithologists analysed the hawk's castings to determine the specific species of rodents present in the local ecosystem.

Rodrigues apparently wrote it after failed castings in Brazil due to body size.

The Guardian· 13 Aug 2026

The approach is very different from traditional metal casting (from liquid to solid), which begins with molten material and allows it to cool into a solid form.

ScienceDaily· 31 Jul 2026

Etymology 1

From Middle English castynge, castand, equivalent to cast + -ing.

Etymology 2

From Middle English castyng, castinge, equivalent to cast + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English castynge
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Common
Updated