noun

ticking

TIH-kihng

noun

A tightly woven, durable fabric used to cover mattresses and pillows.

"The mattress ticking had a classic blue-and-white stripe."

A repeated clicking sound, like that of a clock.

"The ticking of the clock kept her awake."

How to Use Ticking

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the sturdy fabric covering a mattress, or the repeated clicking sound of a clock or timer.

Common pairings

mattress ticking the ticking of a clock

tickings plural, tickings plural, tickings plural

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Can you complete this real example?

The mattress _____ had a classic blue-and-white stripe.

From tick ("mattress cover") + -ing, or from the verb tick ("to make a clicking sound") + -ing.

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