What does farting mean?
Farting is the act of expelling intestinal gas through the anus, typically producing a characteristic sound and sometimes an odor. The word functions as both a noun, naming the act itself, and as the present participle of the verb "fart." It belongs to a register that is informal at best and often regarded as crude, which means speakers tend to avoid it in formal writing or professional settings, preferring clinical terms such as flatulence or flatus. Yet the underlying word is remarkably venerable: "fart" has existed in English for many centuries, with cognates found across the Germanic language family, making it one of the oldest words in continuous everyday use despite its lowly reputation. Beyond its literal sense, "farting" also appears in idiomatic expressions such as "farting around," meaning to waste time on trivial matters. Its enduring presence in humor across cultures reflects a universal human reality, giving the word both comic value and genuine linguistic interest as a rare example of vocabulary that has survived essentially unchanged for over a millennium.
An instance or act of expelling intestinal gas through the anus.
"The dog was startled by the sudden farting from the sofa."
Informal; use 'flatulence' or 'flatus' in medical or formal contexts.
Present participle of fart: to expel intestinal gas through the anus.
"The baby kept farting throughout the night, much to his amusement."
Present participle of fart, used idiomatically in 'fart around/about': to waste time or engage in aimless activity.
"We spent all afternoon farting around instead of packing for the trip."
Rarely used in plural form; the noun 'farting' is almost always treated as an uncountable gerund referring to the activity in general.
"The constant farting after dinner made the room unbearable."
"Fart" is one of the oldest words in English — it appears in surviving texts over a thousand years old, and its relatives exist in Germanic languages going back even further.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of farting
The verb "fart," from which "farting" derives, comes from the Old English "feortan," making it one of the earliest attested verbs in the English language, with written evidence stretching back over a thousand years. It belongs to the Germanic family of languages, with cognates such as Old Norse "freta" and modern German "furzen," all ultimately traced to a Proto-Germanic root. Cognate forms are also found in other Indo-European branches, indicating the word's great antiquity.
Related word forms
How farting is actually used
Register is distinctly informal and often considered crude or childish in polite conversation; formal alternatives include flatulence or flatus for the noun. Despite this, the word is old and well established rather than a modern slang coinage, and it appears in both British and American English with no significant regional variation in meaning.