Ascertaining the date of an event, using the techniques of chronology, including:

If a person or a group of people is "dating", it means they are each seeking and arranging meetings with candidates for an intimate partner.

If a person is "dating someone", or two people are "dating", or "dating each other" it refers to courtship, or sometimes serial monogamy. (British English uses "seeing" or "going out with" rather than "dating" for this).

absolute dating, for example using radiocarbon dating, or

relative dating, for example using stratigraphy or tree rings