erupt
verb (used without object)
to burst forth.
was erupting
-
past progressiveof erupt.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.
He arrived in Inglewood, where a cousin lived, in 1992, just as Los Angeles was erupting in protest over the police beating of Rodney King.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
Jodi Haryawan, spokesperson for the local search and rescue team, told reporters that it would be "too dangerous" to continue searching while the volcano was erupting.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2023
For about two weeks in December, Hawaii’s biggest volcano, Mauna Loa, also was erupting on Hawaii’s Big Island.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2023
Tallest Galapagos volcano erupts: The tallest mountain in the Galapagos islands was erupting Friday, spewing lava down its flanks and clouds of ash over the Pacific Ocean, according to Ecuador's Geophysical Institute.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2022
Within a week it was erupting magma, albeit in modest amounts, up to a hundred times a day, and being constantly shaken with earthquakes.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
