Sitting vs. Seating — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on June 8, 2024
Sitting refers to the act of being seated, while seating is the arrangement or provision of seats.
Difference Between Sitting and Seating
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Sitting is an action taken by an individual to rest in a seated position. For instance, someone may be sitting in a chair. Seating, on the other hand, refers to the arrangement and availability of places to sit, typically in the context of an event or within a venue. A theater, for example, has a seating capacity that indicates how many seats are available.
Sitting can also denote a period during which one remains seated, such as a sitting of Congress. Seating is used to describe the act of placing people in seats or the way seats are laid out. An usher may assist with the seating of guests at a wedding, ensuring everyone finds their designated seat.
The term sitting often relates to the posture or manner in which one sits. An artist might request a model to adopt a particular sitting posture for a portrait. Seating, however, can encompass the design and specification of seating accommodations, as in seating arrangements that allow for optimal viewing in a cinema.
A sitting can also be a session or meeting of a court, legislature, or other official body. In contrast, seating is concerned with the physical spaces and sometimes the process of booking or assigning these spaces. When booking a flight, passengers might have the option to select their seating preferences.
Lastly, sitting can describe a job or role, as in a sitting judge or babysitter. Seating does not have this application; it doesn't refer to roles but rather to the act or manner of providing seats or the seats themselves, such as seating designs that enhance audience engagement at a performance.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
The act of being in a seated position
The arrangement or provision of seats
Context
Individual posture or sessions of official bodies
Layouts in venues or events, and the process of assigning seats
Usage Example
"He was sitting for too long."
"The seating capacity is limited."
Verb Form
Generally used as a present participle or noun
Mostly used as a gerund or noun
Associated Activity
Can indicate a period of activity, like a sitting of parliament
Refers to the infrastructure or action related to using seats
Compare with Definitions
Sitting
The act of resting in a seat.
She prefers sitting on the floor while reading.
Seating
The capacity of a venue to accommodate a number of people.
The seating capacity of the stadium is 50,000.
Sitting
A period during which one remains seated.
The first sitting for dinner will be at 6 PM.
Seating
The design or style of seats in a vehicle or venue.
The theater’s new seating was designed for optimal viewing.
Sitting
Sitting is a basic action and resting position in which the body weight is supported primarily by the bony ischial tuberosities with the buttocks in contact with the ground or a horizontal surface such as a chair seat, instead of by the lower limbs as in standing, squatting or kneeling. When sitting, the torso is more or less upright, although sometimes it can lean against other objects for a more relaxed posture.
Seating
The arrangement of seats in a space.
The seating at the concert hall was unexpectedly comfortable.
Sitting
A continuous period of being seated, especially when engaged in a particular activity
Twenty pieces of music is a bit much to take in at one sitting
Seating
The seats with which a building or room is provided
The restaurant has seating for 80
Sitting
A scheduled period of time when a number of people are served a meal, especially in a restaurant
There will be two sittings for Christmas lunch
Seating
An instance or time of making seats available to customers at a restaurant or performance venue
Lunch seatings are from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. only
Sitting
A period of time during which a committee or parliament is engaged in its normal business
All-night sittings of Parliament
Seating
The act of providing or furnishing with a seat or seats.
Sitting
In a seated position
A sitting position
Seating
The seats so provided or furnished
Seating for 500.
Sitting
(of an MP or other elected representative) current; present
The resignation of the sitting member
Seating
The arrangement of seats in a room, auditorium, or banquet hall
A theater that offers semicircular seating.
Sitting
(of a hen or other bird) settled on eggs for the purpose of incubating them.
Seating
The member or part on or within which another part is seated.
Sitting
The act or position of one that sits.
Seating
Material for upholstering seats.
Sitting
A period during which one is seated and occupied with a single activity, such as posing for a portrait or reading a book.
Seating
Present participle of seat
Sitting
A session or term, as of a legislature or court.
Seating
(gerund) The act of one that seats.
The seating of passengers will begin soon.
Sitting
An act, condition, or period of brooding on eggs by a bird; incubation.
Seating
(uncountable) The provision of chairs or other places for people to sit.
There is plenty of comfortable seating.
Sitting
The number of eggs under a brooding bird; a clutch.
Seating
(countable) A period of time in which people are allowed into a performance, a meal, etc., to be seated.
The first seating begins at 5 o'clock.
Sitting
Incubating a nest of eggs
A sitting hen.
Seating
Material for making seats.
Cane seating
Sitting
Occupying an official position; incumbent.
Seating
(obsolete) Haircloth.
Sitting
Of or for sitting
A sitting posture.
A sitting area in a bus station.
Seating
(mechanics) Collectively, the various fitted supports of the parts of a structure or of a machine; a housing in which a component is seated.
Sitting
Done or executed while sitting.
Seating
(shipbuilding) That part of the floor which rests on the keel.
Sitting
A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.
Due to the sheer volume of guests, we had to have two sittings for the meal.
The Queen had three sittings for her portrait.
Seating
The act of providing with a seat or seats; as, the seating of an audience.
Sitting
A seance or other session with a medium or fortuneteller.
Seating
The act of making seats; also, the material for making seats; as, cane seating.
Sitting
A special seat allotted to a seat-holder, at church, etc.
Seating
An area that includes seats for several people;
There is seating for 40 students in this classroom
Sitting
The part of the year in which judicial business is transacted.
Seating
The service of ushering people to their seats
Sitting
A legislative session (in the sense of "meeting", not "period").
Seating
The provision of chairs or benches.
The new café has outdoor seating available.
Sitting
The incubation of eggs by a bird.
Seating
The act of placing people in seats.
Seating for the gala dinner will begin at 7 PM.
Sitting
A clutch of eggs laid by a brooding bird.
We have thirty-four chicks from eight sittings of eggs
Sitting
Uninterrupted application to anything for a time; the period during which one continues at anything.
Sitting
Present participle of sit
Sitting
Executed from a sitting position.
Sitting
Occupying a specific official or legal position; incumbent.
Sitting
Being in the state, or the position, of one who, or that which, sits.
Sitting
The state or act of one who sits; the posture of one who occupies a seat.
Sitting
A seat, or the space occupied by or allotted for a person, in a church, theater, etc.; as, the hall has 800 sittings.
Sitting
The act or time of sitting, as to a portrait painter, photographer, etc.
Sitting
The actual presence or meeting of any body of men in their seats, clothed with authority to transact business; a session; as, a sitting of the judges of the King's Bench, or of a commission.
The sitting closed in great agitation.
Sitting
The time during which one sits while doing something, as reading a book, playing a game, etc.
For the understanding of any one of St. Paul's Epistles I read it all through at one sitting.
Sitting
A brooding over eggs for hatching, as by fowls.
The male bird . . . amuses her [the female] with his songs during the whole time of her sitting.
Sitting
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait);
He wanted his portrait painted but couldn't spare time for the sitting
Sitting
The act of assuming or maintaining a seated position;
He read the mystery at one sitting
Sitting
A meeting of spiritualists;
The seance was held in the medium's parlor
Sitting
A session as of a legislature or court
Sitting
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks;
The seated Madonna
The audience remained seated
Sitting
Not moving and therefore easy to attack;
A sitting target
Sitting
A session, as of a court or legislature.
The jury returned with a verdict after one sitting.
Sitting
The position in which one sits.
The artist captured her subject’s sitting position beautifully.
Sitting
A period of time during which someone looks after a child or pet.
I have a dog sitting appointment this weekend.
Common Curiosities
Can sitting be used to refer to a job?
Yes, as in a babysitting job.
What is seating?
It's the arrangement or provision of seats in a space.
Is seating important in a venue?
Absolutely, as it determines capacity and comfort.
What does sitting mean?
It refers to the act of being seated or a period of time one spends seated.
Is seating a plan for where people should sit?
Yes, it can be a plan or the actual arrangement of seats.
Does seating imply a number of seats?
Yes, it often refers to the number or layout of seats available.
How is sitting different from seating?
Sitting is the act; seating is the arrangement or provision for the act.
Can sitting be a formal event?
Yes, it can refer to formal gatherings like a legislative sitting.
What is a sitting room?
It’s a room in a house used for general social and leisure activities.
What does ‘seating is limited’ mean?
It means there are a restricted number of seats available.
Is there a difference between a sitting area and seating area?
No, both refer to an area designated for sitting.
Does sitting require a chair?
Not necessarily; one can sit on any surface suitable for sitting.
Do theaters have different seating zones?
Yes, such as orchestra, mezzanine, and balcony seating.
Can I choose my seating on a flight?
Often, passengers can select their seat in advance.
Can seating be reserved?
Yes, seats can be reserved, especially at events or in restaurants.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
