What does "dating" mean?

1. (romantic courtship) the activity of going on dates to see if you want to start a serious relationship with someone. 2. (determining age) a scientific way of finding out how old an object or a bone is. 3. (assigning a date) the act of writing a date on a document or deciding when an event will happen. 4. (going out with someone) the action of regularly spending time with someone you have a romantic relationship with.

dating

n. · v.

US //ˈdeɪtɪŋ// UK //dˈeɪtɪŋ// dat·ing

1 romantic courtship (n.)
B1 Intermediate

the activity of going on dates to see if you want to start a serious relationship with someone.

the practice of engaging in social activities with a potential romantic partner to assess compatibility.

Example

Online dating has become a very popular way for people to meet new partners.

Example

Modern dating has been significantly reshaped by mobile applications, which prioritise rapid visual assessment over traditional social introduction.
- courtship
- seeing someone
2 determining age (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Science

a scientific way of finding out how old an object or a bone is.

the process of assigning a specific age or time period to an archaeological or biological specimen.

Example

Carbon dating showed that the wooden bowl was over two thousand years old.

Example

Radiometric dating techniques allow geologists to determine the age of rock formations with a high degree of precision.
- ageing
- chronology

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3 assigning a date (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal

the act of writing a date on a document or deciding when an event will happen.

the act of assigning or recording a specific date for a transaction, document, or event.

Example

The dating of the contract was important for the legal deadline.

Example

The precise dating of the manuscript remains a subject of intense debate among historians due to the lack of a clear watermark.
- scheduling
- inscription
4 going out with someone (v.)
B1 Intermediate

the action of regularly spending time with someone you have a romantic relationship with.

the present participle of 'date', describing the ongoing state of being in a romantic relationship.

Example

They have been dating for six months and are very happy together.

Example

After dating for several years, the couple decided to move in together to see if they were compatible in a domestic setting.
- seeing
- going out