The act of making a promise.
"The promising was a solemn ceremony where every guest pledged their loyalty to the new king."
In plain English: A promising person is someone who shows great potential to succeed in the future.
"The doctor gave him some promising news about his recovery."
present participle of promise
"The young scientist was promising that her results would be ready by Friday."
In plain English: To promise means to say you will definitely do something later.
"The new manager is promising to fix all the problems by next week."
Showing promise, and likely to develop in a desirable fashion.
"The young athlete showed promising signs of becoming an Olympic champion after her recent performance."
In plain English: Promising means showing great potential for success in the future.
"The young athlete is very promising and has already won several local races."
Usage: Use promising as an adjective when describing something with potential for future success or improvement. Avoid confusing it with the noun form "promise," which refers specifically to the act of pledging one's word.