1. a strong cotton or linen fabric used to cover mattresses and pillows
2. a series of short, sharp sounds made regularly

1. present participle of tick; making short, sharp sounds at regular intervals
2. present participle of tick; marking items on a list with a checkmark
Usage: British

Examples

• The mattress was covered in blue striped ticking.
• The ticking of the clock kept me awake all night.
• I could hear the grandfather clock ticking in the hallway.
• She was ticking off items on her shopping list.
• The bomb squad heard a ticking sound from the package.
• The pillow’s ticking had torn and feathers were escaping.
• The steady ticking provided a rhythmic background noise.