ticking

noun
UK: /ˈtɪkɪŋ/
US: /ˈtɪkɪŋ/

  1. The sound a clock makes.

    1. I could hear the ticking of the clock in the silent room. [ ] [ ]
    2. The constant ticking from the antique clock was starting to get on my nerves. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

thumping fabric beating
ticking verb

  1. The act of making a series of short, sharp sounds.

    1. The ticking sound came from the engine. [ ] [ ]
    2. We heard the ticking as the device counted down to zero. [ ] [ ]

  2. Present participle of tick: Making short, repeated sounds.

    1. The clock is ticking loudly in the hall. [ ] [ ]
    2. Time is ticking away so we need to act quickly to resolve this issue. [ ] [ ]

  3. Marking something with a tick.

    1. She was ticking off the items on her list. [ ] [ ]
    2. The teacher was ticking the correct answers on the students' tests. [ ] [ ]
ticking noun

  1. A strong cotton or linen fabric.

    1. The mattress was covered in blue ticking. [ ] [ ]
    2. Ticking is often used for pillow covers and upholstery. [ ] [ ]
ticking adjective

  1. Functioning or counting down.

    1. The ticking bomb squad worked quickly to disarm the ticking bomb. [ ] [ ]
    2. The ticking clock reminds us of the limited time we have to finish the project. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "ticking" is /ˈtɪkɪŋ/ in British English and /ˈtɪkɪŋ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "ticking": thumping, fabric, beating.

Example usage of "ticking": "I could hear the ticking of the clock in the silent room.". More examples on the page.