Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Not yet decided or settled; awaiting conclusion or confirmation.
  • adjective Impending; imminent.
  • preposition While in the process of; during.
  • preposition While awaiting; until.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Depending; remaining undecided; not terminated: as, a pending suit; while the case was pending.
  • For the time of the continuance of; during; in the period covered by: as, pending the suit; pending the negotiation.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Not yet decided; in continuance; in suspension.
  • preposition Archaic During.
  • preposition Until; awaiting.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Present participle of pend.
  • adjective awaiting a conclusion or a confirmation
  • adjective begun but not completed
  • adjective about to happen; imminent or impending
  • preposition While waiting for something; until.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective awaiting conclusion or confirmation

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French pendant, pendant, pending (from Old French; see pendant) + –ing.]

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Examples

  • The public information officer for the Oshkosh police said during a brief news conference that detectives made a positive identification of a male recovered from the river, but were waiting to release his name pending notification and according to the wishes of his family.

    News - chicagotribune.com Tribune News Services 2012

  • The hospital withheld her name pending notification of family members.

    Reuters: Press Release 2011

  • Photo: #Former Republican Governor Arne Carlson came up with the idea for a nonpartisan summit of former and current lawmakers as a way for Minnesota to better understand what he describes as a pending "economic tsunami."

    Features from Minnesota Public Radio 2010

  • Photo: #Former Republican Governor Arne Carlson came up with the idea for a nonpartisan summit of former and current lawmakers as a way for Minnesota to better understand what he describes as a pending "economic tsunami."

    Features from Minnesota Public Radio 2010

  • Dougherty was among roughly 300 people who turned out at the special budget meeting looking for answers from district officials, who have threatened to cut dozens of courses and teachers to stave off what they call a pending financial crisis.

    unknown title 2009

  • The beef group has been fighting sweeping new rules on livestock marketing – which failed to pass in the 2008 Farm Bill, but are pending from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    Executives Await Friendlier Climate Elizabeth Williamson 2010

  • Her name also appears on substitute paperwork in pending foreclosure cases in Florida, according to court documents and lawyers representing the borrowers.

    Banks Restart Foreclosures Jessica Silver-Greenberg 2010

  • In addition to this litigation, decisions are still pending from the FAA on threats to aviation safety, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is due to rule this summer on a slew of potential permitting violations.

    Opposing view on energy: Fight far from over 2010

  • Chase spokesman Tom Kelly said the company has requested that the courts not enter judgments in pending matters until the company has had time to re-examine the filings "to verify that the affidavits and other documents meet the standard of personal knowledge or review where that is required."

    J.P. Morgan Chase freezes 56,000 foreclosures Ariana Eunjung Cha 2010

  • Among other things, the Justice Department argued that the decisions made by the two-member Board should be upheld, as otherwise decisions in pending cases could not be made.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Did Chief Justice Roberts Prompt President Obama’s Recess Appointments? 2010

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