What, actually, does dating mean?

‘Dating’ has become a commonly used term. It is fairly common for many adults to also assume that this is what dating means — that when you consistently go on more dates with a person, you start “dating” this individual. The Cambridge dictionary’s definition does not help either, when it tells us that dating means “to regularly spend time with someone you have a romantic relationship with”. For example, V, a 30-year-old client of mine considers that he is ‘actively dating’ when he makes the effort to go on as many dates as possible. Often, when one partner does bring up the fact that they are not dating other people while dating each other, they are met with an unexpected reaction— “Oh, I didn’t know we were supposed to be exclusive!” or “I think it’s too soon to go in that direction”, or worse, they get ghosted.