What does equaling mean?
Equaling is the present participle and gerund of the verb "equal," used to describe something matching another thing in quantity, value, size, or degree, or rivaling it in quality or achievement. It is common in contexts where comparisons matter: a company's profits may be equaling last year's figures, an athlete's time may be equaling a championship record, and a new building may be equaling its neighbor in height. The word carries no strong emotional connotation — it is precise, neutral, and at home in everything from financial reporting to casual conversation. Writers should note the spelling divide: American English uses a single "l" (equaling), while British English doubles the consonant (equalling). The word ultimately derives from the Latin "aequus," meaning even, level, or fair, the same root behind "equity," "equator," and "equilibrium." Its usefulness lies in expressing exact correspondence without the need for longer constructions such as "being the same as."
verb (present participle and gerund of "equal")Equaling is the present participle and gerund of the verb "equal," meaning to be the same in quantity, degree, or value as something else, or to match or rival something in achievement or quality.
- To be the same in amount, number, degree, or value as something else.
- To match or rival someone or something in quality, achievement, or performance.
"Her final score was equaling the tournament record set a decade earlier."
"The charity's donations this year are equaling last year's record total."
"No modern novelist has come close to equaling her command of dialogue."
Whether you write it with one L (American) or two (British), "equaling" traces straight back to the Latin word for "even, level, fair" — the same root that gives us "equity" and "equilibrium."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does equaling come from?
"Equaling" descends from the Latin adjective "aequus," meaning even, level, or fair, which passed into Old French as "equel" before entering Middle English as "equal" around the late Middle Ages. The verb "to equal" developed from the adjective, with the sense of being identical in measure or worth, and its participial form "equaling" has been in regular use since the early modern period. It shares its Latin root with a wide family of words including "equity," "equator," "adequate," and "equilibrium." The single-"l" spelling is standard in American English, while British English prefers the doubled consonant in "equalling."
Related word forms
How equaling is actually used
"Equaling" is neutral in register and appears freely in journalism, sports reporting, finance, and everyday speech. In British English the spelling is typically doubled to "equalling," following the convention of doubling a final consonant after a stressed syllable; American English keeps a single "l." The verb is often followed by an explicit comparison, as in "equaling that of its competitors."
Easily confused with equaling
"Equalling" is simply the British spelling of the same form, while "equaling" is the standard American spelling — they are variants, not different words.
An "equation" is a mathematical statement asserting equality between two expressions, whereas "equaling" is the verb form describing the act or state of being equal to something.