coil
noun
a connected series of spirals or rings that rope, wire, or the like has been formed into.
was coiling
-
past progressiveof coil.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Now Roberto Vega was bouncing his head as if jazz were being played somewhere not far away and the congregation was coiling slowly like a snake, waiting for the Holy Spirit to strike.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
He thought that a snake was coiling itself upon his belly and crawling up towards his throat.
From Plutarch's Lives, Volume I by Aubrey Stewart
While he was coiling the rope to make a second throw, some one said, "Mebby so he'd like to pray."
From Cattle Brands A Collection of Western Camp-fire Stories by Andy Adams
In fact, the mud with which they had covered themselves had become alive, and was coiling itself tightly about them in the form of serpents.
From Yellow-Cap and Other Fairy-Stories For Children by Julian Hawthorne
Jack, the cabin-boy, was coiling away a rope near him, and beckoning to him, he sent him down for a comfortable chair, which, on its appearance, he placed before her.
From The Pirate of the Mediterranean A Tale of the Sea by F.C. Tilney
