texting

1 of 2

noun

text·​ing ˈtek-stiŋ 

: the act or activity of sending text messages from one cell phone to another

When I moved to Chicago, I used a paper map that folded in your lap to navigate the city. There was no Internet, no e-mail, no texting …

—Amy Poehler

Texting freed a generation from the strictures and inconvenience (and awkwardness) of phone calls, while allowing people to be more loosely and constantly connected.

—Jenna Wortham

texting

2 of 2

present participle of text entry 2

Examples of texting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The phone, the radio, the television, the fax, the cell, texting, video calls, AI—who among us truly grasps its underpinnings? — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

The couple met three years ago through a mutual friend and spent a month texting before Sossah flew to Paris during one of Risso’s fashion shows. — Chiara Barzini, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2026

He was matched with Palm Beach hatmaker Kai Lassen; the two first clicked over a marathon texting session, then made googly eyes at each other over coffee. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

After briefly meeting decades prior, the two reconnected at an event, exchanging numbers and then emailing and texting. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1999, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for texting

• bowstring
• coiling
• downswing
• drawstring
• forewing
• hamstring
• lapwing
• mainspring
• offspring
• plaything
• shoestring
• upswing