What does posting mean?
Posting is a noun meaning a message, announcement, advertisement, or notice placed before the public, most often on the internet or in a professional system. The word is especially common in discussions of online communication: a person may create a post, publish a posting, and receive comments or reactions to it. In recruitment, a job posting advertises an open position and usually includes information about responsibilities, qualifications, and how to apply. The word can also refer to a physical notice, such as one attached to a building or displayed in a workplace. As the gerund of post, posting describes the activity of publishing information or sending an item through a postal or electronic system. Its modern digital meaning has made it especially frequent in social media, online forums, news, and employment contexts, while the traditional sense remains common in notices and advertisements.
An announcement, message, advertisement, or notice submitted for publication, especially online.
"The university issued a posting about changes to its admissions process."
A job posting is a specific form of advertisement for an employment position. In digital contexts, posting often means the published item itself, not merely the act of publishing.
The present participle of post, meaning to publish, announce, or send information or an item.
"She spent the evening posting updates about the project."
As a verb form, posting is normally used with the auxiliary be or in the present continuous and may describe either digital publication or the sending of physical mail.
The plural is used for separate announcements, advertisements, or published items.
"The site contains several postings about research opportunities."
A posting can turn a single message into a public notice that anyone with the right link or location can find.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does posting come from?
Posting is formed from the English verb post, meaning to publish, announce, or send in the mail, together with the suffix -ing. The verb post itself developed from the noun post, originally a piece of mail or a public notice, and ultimately relates to Latin positum, a past participle of ponere, meaning to place or set. Posting inherited the older senses of sending a notice or putting an announcement into public view before acquiring its current prominence through online and digital communication.
Related word forms
How posting is actually used
In modern usage, posting most often refers to content published on the internet or in a social-media feed. In employment contexts, a posting usually means a job advertisement or advertised position.
Easily confused with posting
Post can mean the publication or message itself, while posting more often refers to the act of publishing it or to an individual announcement.