What does coming mean?
"Coming" denotes the act or fact of arriving, approaching, or drawing near, whether of a person, an object, a season, or an abstract force. As a noun, it appears in both everyday and literary usage — the coming of dawn, the coming of the train, the coming of a new era — often lending a sense of moment or inevitability to what approaches. It also functions adjectivally to point toward the near future, as in "the coming week" or "the coming election," making it a staple of news reporting and forward-looking discussion. The word carries a broadly neutral connotation, though in fixed expressions like "coming of age" it takes on rich symbolic weight, marking the transition into adulthood or maturity. Derived compounds such as "upcoming" and "forthcoming" extend its reach into modern scheduling and publishing vocabulary. Rooted in one of the oldest verbs in the Germanic family, "coming" connects present-day English speech to its earliest recorded ancestors, giving this seemingly ordinary word a remarkably long history.
The action or fact of arriving, approaching, or drawing near; the advent of someone or something.
"The crowd gathered early to witness the coming of the procession."
Often used in formal or ceremonial contexts, notably in religious language such as "the Second Coming."
(attributive) Belonging to or occurring in the near future; about to happen or take effect.
"The committee outlined its priorities for the coming fiscal year."
Almost always used attributively before a time-related noun (week, month, year, election); rarely used predicatively.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coming
"Coming" derives from the verb "come", which descends from Old English "cuman", itself rooted in the Proto-Germanic verb *kwanan/*kuman meaning "to come, arrive." This ancient root has cognates across the Germanic languages, including Old Norse "koma" and modern German "kommen", reflecting a shared ancestral form. The noun use — "the coming of something" — developed naturally from the verb's participial forms and has been part of English for many centuries. Related English formations such as "welcome" (from Old English "wilcuma", originally "a person whose arrival is pleasing") show how deeply embedded this root is in the language's history.
Related word forms
How coming is actually used
As an attributive adjective, "coming" typically refers to the near future and carries a neutral to slightly anticipatory tone, common in journalism and planning language ("the coming quarter"). As a noun, it often appears in elevated or literary contexts, especially in phrases like "the Second Coming" or "the coming of age."
Easily confused with coming
"Comming" is simply a misspelling; the correct spelling of the word denoting arrival or approach is "coming", with no second "m".