What does arriving mean?
Arriving is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'arrive', meaning to reach a destination after a journey. It is used in progressive forms such as 'the guests are arriving', in gerund constructions like 'arriving late is inconsiderate', and in descriptive phrases such as 'travellers arriving at the airport'. Beyond physical travel, English also uses an extended figurative sense: to say someone has 'arrived' means they have achieved success, recognition, or a coveted social position. The word carries broadly neutral connotations, though arriving late can suggest rudeness while arriving punctually signals reliability. Its history is surprisingly nautical: 'arrive' descends from Old French 'ariver', originally meaning to reach a riverbank or shore, from the Latin 'ripa'. This makes 'arriving' a distant relative of words like 'river' and 'rival'. Common derivatives include the noun 'arrival' and the agent noun 'arriver'.
verbThe present participle of the verb 'arrive': to reach a destination after a journey, or to come into being or prominence.
- To reach a physical destination after travelling there.
- To achieve recognition, success, or a desired status ('she had finally arrived').
"By the time we were arriving at the station, the train had already left."
"We were still arriving at the hotel when the storm began."
"After years of small roles, she felt she had truly arrived when the play opened on Broadway."
Before trains ran to timetables, 'to arrive' literally meant to reach the shore — it comes from Latin 'ripa', meaning riverbank.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arriving
Arriving derives from the verb 'arrive', which entered Middle English in the medieval period from Old French 'ariver'. That French verb originally meant to reach a shore or riverbank, tracing back to the Late Latin compound 'arripare', built on 'ripa', meaning bank or shore. As overland travel became more common, the word broadened from landing at a bank to reaching any destination. The same Latin root 'ripa' gives us 'river' and 'riparian', and underlies 'rival' through its association with those sharing a riverbank.
Related word forms
How arriving is actually used
As a present participle, 'arriving' appears in progressive constructions ('they are arriving tomorrow'), as a gerund ('arriving early is wise'), and in participial phrases ('passengers arriving from Rome'). The figurative sense of having 'arrived' — attaining success — is well established in both British and American English.
Easily confused with arriving
'Arrival' is the noun denoting the act or fact of reaching a place, while 'arriving' is the verb form describing the ongoing action of getting there.