texting

texting — noun

1. the activity of typing and sending short written messages on a mobile phone

1.nounA2
Definition

the activity of typing and sending short written messages on a mobile phone

Example

Yumi spends an hour every evening texting her classmates about homework and weekend plans.

spend time + texting + [person] + about [topic]

Most young people prefer texting to phone calls because it feels more relaxed.

prefer [activity] to [alternative]

Common collocations
  • texting while driving
  • no texting
  • texting addiction
  • texting ban
  • texting and driving
  • texting during class
Synonyms
  • messaging

    broader term that includes app-based chats (WhatsApp, Messenger) and social media DMs, not just SMS

  • SMS

    technical name for the Short Message Service protocol; rarely used in everyday conversation

Usage Note

Texting is uncountable, so it never takes an article or plural form. It refers to the general activity — for an individual message, use 'a text' or 'a text message' instead.

Common Mistakes

I sent a texting to my brother.
I sent a text to my brother.
'texting' is the activity; one message is 'a text'.

Word family

  • text
    nounA1
  • text
    verbA2
  • texter
    nounB1
  • textable
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Texting, messaging, SMS, and chatting all involve written electronic communication, but they differ in range. Texting specifically refers to sending short messages via a mobile phone's SMS feature, though many people now use the word for any phone-based text exchange. Messaging is the broadest term, covering SMS as well as app-based chats like WhatsApp, Messenger, and social media DMs. SMS is the technical name for the Short Message Service protocol and is rarely used in everyday conversation. Chatting implies a longer, more casual conversation that may happen in real time — whether by text, voice, or video. For example: 'I spent the morning texting my cousin about the wedding' suggests quick SMS-style messages, while 'We were chatting on video call until midnight' suggests a flowing back-and-forth conversation.

messagingSMSchatting

Common collocations

Nouns

  • text
  • text message
  • phone
  • SMS

Phrases

  • texting while driving
  • no texting
  • texting ban

Prepositions

  • during
  • while

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'texting' comes from the noun 'text', which entered English from Latin 'textus', meaning 'woven thing' or 'pattern'. By the 14th century 'text' was used for written words. In the 1990s, the verb 'text' emerged to mean 'send a short written message by mobile phone', and the gerund 'texting' soon followed to name the activity itself.