studying

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of study.

   He spent the whole evening studying the old maps spread across the table.

   Studying abroad changed her perspective on the world entirely.

   Note

   The -ing form does two jobs here. As a participle it builds the progressive (she is studying) and keeps the verb's full range. It is transitive when it means looking closely (studying the old maps) and intransitive when it means reviewing for an exam (studying for finals). As a gerund it heads a noun phrase yet still takes objects and adverbs directly, as in studying law or studying abroad. That is what separates it from the plain noun of the activity.

2. 2
   noununcountable

   The action of learning about a subject through reading, review, and careful attention.

   Years of studying finally earned her a place at medical school.

   Late-night studying became a habit during his final semester.

   Similarlearning, revision, reading, cramming, schoolwork

   Note

   Usually a mass noun, like reading or learning: years of studying, late-night studying, and rarely a studying. The plural studyings does exist, and it counts separate acts of thought rather than hours at a desk. Nathaniel Ranew's Solitude improved by divine meditation (1839) pairs "thy studyings and contrivances" with the deepest thoughts of the heart. In everyday writing, keep it singular and uncountable.

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