surfacing

noun

sur·​fac·​ing ˈsər-fə-siŋ How to pronounce surfacing (audio)
Synonyms of surfacingnext
: material forming or used to form a surface

Examples of surfacing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The law calls for facilities to be equipped with proper surfacing and safety netting. — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 May 2026 The railroad will also replace four grade crossing surfaces in Wethersfield, replace ties, switch ties with ballast and surfacing. — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026 The right question to ask early on is whether the rate of experimentation and the surfacing of new use cases are accelerating month over month. — Aswin Saravanan, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Creative inspiration, romance or a spontaneous adventure could feel irresistible right now, but there’s also a deeper layer surfacing. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surfacing

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surfacing was in 1861

Rhymes for surfacing

See All Rhymes for surfacing

Browse Nearby Words

surface wave
surfacing
surfacing machine
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surfacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surfacing. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

surfacing

noun
sur·​fac·​ing
: material forming or used to form a surface

More from Merriam-Webster on surfacing

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for surfacing

Nglish: Translation of surfacing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All