stalking
/ˈstɔːkɪŋ/
stalking is the present participle and gerund of stalk.
Noun (1)
stalking (countable and uncountable, plural stalkings)
- The act of going stealthily.
- A tiny cub is learning the art of stalking a little too well it seems. A video posted on social media shows the cub surprising its mamma and giving her a huge fright. The short clip makes for a delightful watch.2019 October 9, "Tiny cub gives lion a huge fright", Hindustan Times
- Hunting for game by moving silently and stealthily or by waiting in ambush.
- The crime of following or harassing another person, causing that person to fear death or injury.
Meaning of stalk
Verb (1)
stalk (third-person singular simple present stalks, present participle stalking, simple past and past participle stalked)
- To approach slowly and quietly in order not to be discovered when getting closer.
- As for shooting a man from behind a wall, it is cruelly like to stalking a deer.1822, [Walter Scott], Peveril of the Peak. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC
- To (try to) follow or contact someone constantly, often resulting in harassment.ᵂᵖ
- My ex-girlfriend is stalking me.
- To walk slowly and cautiously; to walk in a stealthy, noiseless manner.
- [Bertran] stalks close behind her, like a witch's fiend, / Pressing to be employed.1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act IV, page 53
- To walk behind something, such as a screen, for the purpose of approaching game; to proceed under cover.
- The king[…]crept under the shoulder of his led horse;[…]"I must stalk," said he.1625, Francis [Bacon], Apophthegmes New and Old. […], London: […] Hanna Barret, and Richard Whittaker, […], →OCLC
- Of a person's social media activity: to look through thoroughly or obsessively; to keep tabs on, generally avoiding contact.
- Coordinate term: lurk
Verb (2)
stalk (third-person singular simple present stalks, present participle stalking, simple past and past participle stalked)
Noun (2)
stalking (countable and uncountable, plural stalkings)
- The removal of stalks from bunches of grapes prior to winemaking.
Forms of stalking
| plural | stalkings |
|---|
Origin of stalking
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
From Middle English stalkynge, stalkyng, from Old English stealcung, from Proto-West Germanic *stalkungu, equivalent to stalk + -ing.
From stalk (“the stem of a plant”) + -ing.
Words formed from stalking
Phrases with stalking
Words that rhyme with stalking
Questions about stalking
- What does stalking mean?
- Stalking means the act of going stealthily.
- What is stalking the present participle and gerund of?
- Stalking is the present participle and gerund of stalk.
- What part of speech is stalking?
- Stalking is a noun.
- How do you pronounce stalking?
- Stalking is pronounced /ˈstɔːkɪŋ/.
- What is the plural of stalking?
- The plural of stalking is stalkings.
Words near stalking in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: stalking (page history and authors); stalk (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)-Persent101-stalking.wav.
Cite this entry: “stalking.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/stalking. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.