cultivate
verb (used with object)
to prepare and work on (land) in order to raise crops; till.
was cultivating
-
past progressiveof cultivate.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.
Around that time, Infantino was cultivating the friendships that opened the door to the Oval Office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
All the while, he was cultivating the kind of social media presence that had first sparked his interest in investing.
From BBC ● May 16, 2024
He was cultivating land a few miles from home with his father, he said, and they returned to the village to wait it out.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2024
While Sonic Youth was cultivating a following on the margins, another downtown scenester was hitting dance clubs like Paradise Garage and Danceteria with designs on something bigger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
He told his colleagues that he was cultivating a new Soviet source.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
