# dating

/ˈdeɪtɪŋ/ (US) · /dˈeɪtɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dating
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. romantic courtship

noun · CEFR B1

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

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

- Online dating has become a very popular way for people to meet new partners.
- Modern dating has been significantly reshaped by mobile applications, which prioritise rapid visual assessment over traditional social introduction.

### 2. determining age

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

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

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

- Carbon dating showed that the wooden bowl was over two thousand years old.
- Radiometric dating techniques allow geologists to determine the age of rock formations with a high degree of precision.

### 3. assigning a date

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

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

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

- The dating of the contract was important for the legal deadline.
- The precise dating of the manuscript remains a subject of intense debate among historians due to the lack of a clear watermark.

### 4. going out with someone

verb · CEFR B1

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

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

- They have been dating for six months and are very happy together.
- After dating for several years, the couple decided to move in together to see if they were compatible in a domestic setting.

## Examples

- Online dating is very popular these days.
- After her divorce, she found that the world of modern dating had changed significantly due to mobile apps.
- Sociologists often study how dating rituals reflect broader shifts in economic independence and gender roles within a given generation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.