Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said England's care system was "bankrupting councils, letting families down, and above all, leaving too many children feeling forgotten, powerless and invisible".
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2024
We had health insurance, but it didn’t cover everything, and the balance was bankrupting us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2016
But while Meusnier and Marais were well aware of who was bankrupting whom, the inspectors intervened only when they were asked to do so, which happened less than a handful of times.
From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2014
The power of the Inner Six was proved in the late '50s, when Faisal, then Crown Prince, tried to become King on the ground that his profligate brother Saud was bankrupting the country.
From Time Magazine Archive
