What does faring mean?
Faring is the present participle of the verb 'fare', which means to get along, progress, or experience success or difficulty in particular circumstances. When people ask how someone is 'faring', they are asking how that person is managing — whether life is treating them well or poorly. The word is typically used in progressive forms such as 'is faring well' or 'are faring badly', and it appears frequently in news reporting, economic analysis, and formal inquiries into how groups, institutions, or projects are performing. Its connotations are neutral and evaluative rather than emotional, making it a measured alternative to more colloquial phrases like 'getting by' or 'holding up'. The verb derives from Old English 'faran', meaning to travel or journey, a root it shares with words such as 'fare' and 'wayfarer'; over time the sense shifted from travelling to how a journey — or life generally — goes. Faring remains a concise, expressive way to describe how things stand for someone or something.
verbFaring is the present participle of the verb 'fare', meaning to get along, progress, or experience success or hardship in a situation.
- To be getting along, progressing, or coping with circumstances — used chiefly in progressive constructions asking or describing how someone or something is doing.
- To travel or go on a journey (historical sense of the verb 'fare', now rare).
"The charity reported that refugees were faring better under the new resettlement scheme."
"Despite the economic downturn, small businesses in the region are faring remarkably well."
"She asked her old friend how he was faring after the move abroad."
'How are you faring?' is one of English's oldest ways of asking about someone's wellbeing — and it traces straight back to Old English 'faran', the same root as the word 'fare'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of faring
Faring comes from the Old English strong verb 'faran', meaning 'to travel, go, or journey', which belongs to a family of Germanic motion verbs also seen in modern German 'fahren'. Originally the verb described the act of travelling itself, but over the medieval period its meaning broadened to encompass how a person's journey or circumstances turned out — hence the modern sense of getting along or managing. The same root survives in related words such as 'fare' (both the payment for transport and the phrase 'to fare well'), 'wayfarer', and 'welfare', the last literally meaning how one fares in terms of health and happiness.
Related word forms
How faring is actually used
Faring is almost always used in progressive or participial contexts — most naturally with a form of 'be' (e.g. 'are faring') rather than alone. It carries a neutral, evaluative tone and appears frequently in journalism, reports, and comparative statements ('faring better/worse than'). It is somewhat more common in formal and written register than in casual conversation.
Easily confused with faring
A fairing is an external structure that smooths airflow on vehicles such as motorcycles and aircraft, or a gift sold at a fair, whereas 'faring' refers to how someone or something gets along in a situation.