visiting

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Present in a place for a limited time, usually as a guest or as someone invited from another institution.

   Grammar: Comes before a noun: a visiting professor, the visiting team.

   Patterns

   • a visiting professor
   • the visiting team

   A visiting professor from Japan will teach the seminar this term.

   The visiting team lost by two goals in front of the home crowd.

   Visiting dignitaries were welcomed with a ceremony at the airport.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Connected with or allowed for visits, especially to someone in a hospital, prison or school.

   Grammar: Used in fixed expressions: visiting hours, visiting rights.

   Patterns

   • visiting hours
   • visiting rights

   Visiting hours at the hospital begin at two o'clock.

   The father was granted visiting rights every second weekend.

   Please leave your coat in the room before the visiting period ends.

3. 3noununcountable

   The activity of going to see people or places for a short time.

   Grammar: Often follows do or go: we did a lot of visiting.

   Patterns

   • do some visiting
   • go visiting

   We did a lot of visiting over the holidays.

   Neighbors spent the afternoon visiting on the porch.

   After retirement, she enjoyed visiting more than traveling.

Common combinations

visiting hours

Visiting hours end at eight in the evening.

a visiting professor

She worked as a visiting professor at two universities.

the visiting team

The visiting team scored in the final minute.

visiting rights

The court set visiting rights for the grandparents.

a visiting card

He left a visiting card at the front desk.

Synonyms and how they differ

guest

Guest describes a person invited to stay or attend, while visiting describes the status of being there temporarily.

temporary

Temporary describes anything that will not last, but visiting always involves a person or group that comes from elsewhere.

away

Away is used only in sport, as in an away team, but visiting also works in academic and official settings.

touring

Touring suggests traveling from place to place, while visiting suggests coming to one place.

Opposites

Word family

visit verb

To go to see a person or place.

visit noun

A short stay or call.

visitor noun

A person who visits.

visitation noun

A formal visit or an official right to see a child.

Commonly confused: visiting or visitation?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “visiting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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