# fencing

Pronunciation: US say "FEN-sing" /ˈfɛnsɪŋ/; UK

## Noun

1. Fences collectively, used to enclose or block off an area, or the material they are built from.
   - Simple: Material used to build fences, or fences that act as a barrier around an area.
   - _The contractor installed wire fencing around the construction site._
   - _Miles of wooden fencing enclosed the cattle ranch._
2. The art or sport of dueling with swords, especially the European dueling swords of the 17th and 18th centuries and the practice weapons descended from them.
   - Simple: The sport of fighting with thin swords, where two people try to touch each other with the point to score.
   - _He competed in fencing at the national championships._
   - _Modern fencing uses electronic scoring to detect each touch._
3. The receiving and buying of stolen goods, typically in order to resell them.
   - Simple: The crime of buying stolen things and selling them again for money.
   - _Fencing is risky work because the goods can be traced back to robberies._
   - _The detective uncovered a fencing operation moving jewelry across state lines._

## Verb

4. Present participle and gerund of fence. — present participle and gerund of fence
   - Simple: Present participle of fence. Use this -ing form for an action that is happening now.
   - _Workers are fencing the perimeter of the new factory._
   - _She has been fencing competitively since her college years._

## Origin

**Meaning 4** — Formed from "fence" combined with the suffix "-ing".
**Meanings 1–3** — From Middle English "fensing", equivalent to "fence" plus the suffix "-ing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/fencing (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).