performing

Pluralperformings

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of perform.

   The dancers are performing on the main stage tonight.

   Performing in front of a live audience takes years of practice.

   Note

   The -ing form does double duty. After a form of be it builds the progressive (they are performing), and on its own it works as a noun-like verb that can still take an object (performing the piece took practice). It also fuses into compound adjectives drawn from the 'function, work' meaning of perform. In the lowest-performing operator, it is hyphenated before the noun and ranks how well something works, not how well it entertains.

2. 2
   nouncountable

   An instance of presenting a play, piece of music, or other entertainment before an audience.

   The troupe's performing of the old folk songs moved the whole hall.

   A single performing of the symphony can leave the players exhausted.

   Similarperformance, rendition, rendering, presentation

   Note

   A true countable noun, with a plural, unlike the verbal -ing form. Emerson's English Traits (1856) speaks of "vast attempts but most inadequate performings". There the word means things actually accomplished, not stage shows, which echoes perform in its broad sense of 'to do, to execute.' Performance covers the same ground in ordinary prose. The plural performings stands out, and suits writing that wants a deliberate, slightly old-fashioned weight.

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