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Definition of stemming

stemming

/ˈstɛm.ɪŋ/
stem · ming
Plural:stemmings
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stemming Lexical Profile

stemming Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

In computational linguistics and information retrieval, the process of reducing inflected or derived words to their word stem, base, or root form.

Example

"Search engines often use stemming so that a query for 'fishing' also retrieves documents containing 'fished' and 'fisher'."

2

The act or process of stopping, checking, or holding back the flow or spread of something.

Example

"The emergency barriers proved critical in the stemming of the floodwaters."

3

In mining and blasting, inert material such as clay, sand, or crushed rock packed into a borehole above an explosive charge to confine the force of the blast.

Example

"The blasting crew carefully tamped the gravel stemming into the drill holes before detonating the charges."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for stemming

• Rhymes for stemming

• Nearby Words

stem
stemless
stemlike
stemming
stemware
stenanthium
stench

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Stemming. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/stemming
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