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.
The following month the same newspaper was crowing:
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2025
Her response went viral online, and by Friday afternoon, Warren’s campaign team, which rarely brags about such things, was crowing that the clip had garnered more than 12 million views on Twitter.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2019
T-Mobile and Sprint aren't helped by the fact that each company was crowing just a few months ago that they looked forward to being 5G leaders.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2018
Even as recently as June, defensive coordinator Phil Bennett was crowing to alums that Ukwuachu would take the field this year - after sitting out Baylor’s last season for undisclosed issues.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 25, 2015
A cock was crowing, a drawn-out, plaintive sound that seemed very close close by.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
