According to Merriam-Webster:
DATING: to make a usually romantic social arrangement to meet with : to have a date with.
Just going out with someone is not dating. Going out in a pair is not dating. Spending time with another, going to the movies, shopping for items, walking on a beach or the woods, dining or even meeting for coffee does not construe a "date." It can be turned into a date, but is not a date by itself.
In other words, it is the intent that adds the meaning to what you are doing. If there is nothing more intended than enjoying another's company, that would be considered a friendship; simply hanging out. If the only intention is sex and physical gratification, it's called hooking-up. Dating would include, eventually, the previous two with the added aspect of exclusive emotional attachment. It all can be summed up more easily as (in order): Like, Lust, Love.
Language is very important, especially in today's age where the edges are blurred by slang, ignorance or done purposely to change the meaning of words to further an agenda. Just take a dictionary from the mid-20th century and match it up to something recent and you will see it for yourself.
Edited by
Zion
on Sun 05/17/20 06:33 AM