liking
/ˈlaɪkɪŋ/
liking is the present participle and gerund of like.
Noun
liking (countable and uncountable, plural likings)
- A like; a predilection.
- The likings and dislikings of society, or of some powerful portion of it, are thus the main thing which has practically determined the rules laid down for general observance, under the penalties of law or opinion.1859, John Stuart Mill, “Introductory”, in On Liberty, London: John W[illiam] Parker and Son, […], →OCLC, page 17
- The Ivorian is a player with such a liking for improvisation it does not usually look like he has any more idea than anyone else what he is going to do next, so it was an interesting choice.2012 September 15, Amy Lawrence, “Arsenal's Gervinho enjoys the joy of six against lowly Southampton”, in the Guardian
- Approval.
- goods bought on liking
Meaning of like
Verb
like (third-person singular simple present likes, present participle liking, simple past and past participle liked)
- To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.
- I like reading books.
- Antonyms:
- dislike, hate, mislike, disapprove
- To please (same meaning as above but with subject and object reversed).
- I willingly confess that it likes me much better when I find virtue in a fair lodging than when I am bound to seek it in an ill-favoured creature.16th century, Sir Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
- To derive pleasure [with of or by or with ‘from someone or something’].
- And therefore it is the best way, if you like of it, to examine these taken from experiments touching the Earth, and then proceed to those of the other kind.1662, Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Systems of the World, (Dialogue Two)
- To prefer and maintain (an action) as a regular habit or activity.
- I like to go to the dentist every six months.
- To find attractive; to prefer the company of; to have mild romantic feelings for.
- I really like Sandra but don't know how to tell her.
- To want, desire. See also would like.
- Would you like a cigarette?
Synonyms of liking
Forms of liking
| plural | likings |
|---|
Origin of liking
From Middle English likinge, likinde, likende, likande, licande, from Old English līciende, līciġende, from Proto-Germanic *līkāndz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *līkāną, equivalent to like + -ing.
From Middle English likinge, from Old English līcung (“pleasing; pleasure; gratification; liking”), equivalent to like + -ing.
Words formed from liking
Phrases with liking
Words that rhyme with liking
Questions about liking
- What does liking mean?
- Liking means a like; a predilection.
- What is liking the present participle and gerund of?
- Liking is the present participle and gerund of like.
- What part of speech is liking?
- Liking is a noun.
- How do you pronounce liking?
- Liking is pronounced /ˈlaɪkɪŋ/.
- What is the plural of liking?
- The plural of liking is likings.
Words near liking in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: liking (page history and authors); like (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-liking.wav.
Cite this entry: “liking.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/liking. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.