witching

1 of 2

noun

witch·​ing ˈwi-chiŋ How to pronounce witching (audio)
Synonyms of witchingnext
: the practice of witchcraft : sorcery

witching

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or suitable for sorcery or supernatural occurrences
… the very witching time of night …—William Shakespeare

Examples of witching 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.
Noun
And also that people have used four branches of witch hazel as the vining rods or witching sticks to find water. — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025 Finally, today is triple witching with equity options, futures and futures options all set to expire. — Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 Sunset is Kiosko 62's witching hour; as dusk approaches, the beach fills with bodies clustering around the ramshackle bar or sitting on the rocks like gulls. — Maya Boyd, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2022 Friday is a quadruple witching event — the quarterly expiration of stock options, index options, index futures, and single-stock futures — which could add some volatility. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2026 Execs dream of a worldwide witching hour, where audiences in countries far and wide marvel at Brian Flores’ blitz packages and debate whether Jonnu Smith made a football move. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
In defeat to Crystal Palace and Chelsea, Liverpool could point to post-witching hour drama, conceding late, late goals. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025 Sabrina’s known to don a preppy red peacoat and a black headband; her witching rivals, the Weird Sisters, have coordinating long-sleeve tea dresses with lace Peter Pan collars. — Halie Lesavage, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1567, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of witching was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing witching

Rhymes for witching

See All Rhymes for witching

Browse Nearby Words

witch-hunting
witching
witching stick
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Witching.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witching. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

witching

adjective
witch·​ing
ˈwich-iŋ
: of, relating to, or suitable for witchcraft
the witching hour

More from Merriam-Webster on witching

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for witching

Nglish: Translation of witching 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

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