What does putting mean?
Putting is the form of the verb put that describes an action in progress, as in “She is putting the kettle on,” and is also used in passive constructions such as “The decision was put to the committee.” Because it can function as a gerund, it may also name an activity: “The main task was putting the equipment away.” In everyday idiom, “putting on” can mean pretending to have a quality or role, as in “He is putting on a brave face.” In golf, putting is specifically the action of striking the ball toward the hole, usually along the green. The word is used in both British and American English and is especially common in fixed expressions such as “putting up with,” “putting off,” and “putting into practice.” Its flexibility as both a verb form and a noun makes it useful for describing actions, attitudes, performance, and sporting technique.
The present participle and gerund of put, used to describe an action in progress or to form passive and perfect constructions.
"The workers are putting a new roof on the building."
As a verb form, putting is usually accompanied by an auxiliary verb, although it can also function independently as a gerund.
The act of placing something or causing something to be placed; in golf, the act of striking the ball toward the hole.
"Careful putting made the difference during the final round."
The golf meaning is the most common specialized noun sense.
The plural is rare and is used mainly when referring to separate instances of putting or, in golf, separate acts of striking the ball.
"The coach studied her puttings on the practice green."
Putting on a convincing performance is so idiomatic that it literally describes putting on clothes—and figuratively describes pretending convincingly.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does putting come from?
Putting is formed from the English verb put by adding the present-participle and gerund suffix -ing. The modern English verb put belongs to the Germanic vocabulary of English, although its precise historical development and relationship to similarly formed words in other languages have been debated. The suffix -ing itself is inherited from Old English and is used in English both to indicate an action in progress and to form a gerund.
Related word forms
How putting is actually used
As a verb form, putting is normally used with an auxiliary verb, as in “is putting,” “has been putting,” or “putting on.” As a noun, “putting” is formal or technical in the sense of placing, while the golf sense is familiar in sporting contexts.
Easily confused with putting
Put is the base verb meaning to place or cause something to be in a particular position, whereas putting is its present-participle, gerund, and, as a noun, the act of doing so.