What does talking mean?
Talking is the present participle of the verb talk and is used to describe people or things engaged in speech, conversation, or communication. It appears especially often in the continuous tenses, as in “They are talking,” and can also function attributively: a talking machine, a talking animal, or a talking point. The word may carry a neutral sense of conversation, but it can also suggest that someone is speaking at length, animatedly, or in a way that attracts attention. As a noun-like gerund, “talking” can refer to the activity of speech itself, as in “I like talking to my friends.” Its related adjective uses often emphasize the capacity to speak rather than the content of the speech, while phrases such as “keep talking” and “talking shop” are idiomatic expressions with their own established meanings.
Engaged in speech or conversation; speaking or communicating.
"The talking statue outside the museum greets visitors with a recorded message."
Commonly used attributively before a noun, especially for objects that produce speech or convey information.
Present participle of talk, used in continuous verb forms.
"She was talking to a colleague when the phone rang."
This is an inflected form of talk rather than a separate lexical verb.
From a quiet glance to an animated conversation, talking is the human habit that turns ideas into relationships.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does talking come from?
Talking is the present participle of talk, formed by adding the productive English suffix -ing to the verb. The word talk is Middle English in origin, although the precise development of its earlier sources is uncertain. The related forms talker, talkative, and dialogue belong to the same modern word family and reflect the long-standing connection between speaking, conversation, and communication.
Related word forms
How talking is actually used
In ordinary use, talking is the present participle of talk and is especially common in the continuous forms talking and talked. As an adjective, it is often used before a noun, as in a talking machine, and can suggest liveliness or expressiveness.