Word.ws English Dictionary

observing

Syllables: ob·serv·ingUK/ɒbˈzɜːvɪŋ//əbˈzɝvɪŋ/

observing is the present participle and gerund of observe.

Meaning of observe

Verb

observe (third-person singular simple present observes, present participle observing, simple past and past participle observed)

  1. (transitive) To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail.
    • From this vantage point we can observe the behavior of the animals in their natural habitat.
  2. (transitive) To follow or obey the custom, practice, or rules (especially of a religion).
    • Please observe all posted speed limits.
    Synonyms:
    celebrate
  3. (transitive) To take note of and celebrate (a holiday or similar occurrence), to keep; to follow (a type of time or calendar reckoning).
    • Ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 12:17
  4. (intransitive) To comment on something; to make an observation.
    • The senator observed that the bill would be detrimental to his constituents.

See all 5 meanings of observe

Noun

observing (plural observings)

  1. observation
    • Sensations then, are not perceivings, observings or findings; they are not detectings, scannings or inspectings; they are not apprehendings, cognisings, intuitings or knowings.2009, Gilbert Ryle, The Concept of Mind: 60th Anniversary Edition, page 194

Adjective

observing (comparative more observing, superlative most observing)

  1. observant

Forms of observing

Noun
pluralobservings
Adjective
comparativemore observing
superlativemost observing

Words formed from observing

Words that rhyme with observing

Questions about observing

What does observing mean?
Observing means observation.
What is observing the present participle and gerund of?
Observing is the present participle and gerund of observe.
What part of speech is observing?
Observing can be a noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce observing?
Observing is pronounced /əbˈzɝvɪŋ/ (US).
What is the plural of observing?
The plural of observing is observings.

Words near observing in the dictionary

  1. observerships
  2. observes
  3. observest
  4. observeth
  5. observin'
  6. observing
  7. observingly
  8. observings
  9. obsesh
  10. obseshes
  11. obsess

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: observing (page history and authors); observe (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.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-AnotherFriendlyHuman-observing.wav.

Cite this entry: “observing.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/observing. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.