harden
verb (used with object)
to make hard or harder.
was hardening
-
past progressiveof harden.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.
The head of Nevada’s welfare department, George Miller, was hardening his agency into a national model for a more-aggressive approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
They suggested their vote was hardening up in the final days of the campaign.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2023
That facility sparked fears in the West that Iran was hardening its program from airstrikes.
From Washington Times ● May 22, 2023
She walked carefully through the parking lot, where the day’s slush was hardening into ice, balancing herself on a green cane.
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2022
At twenty years of age the mold of my life was set, was hardening into a pattern, a pattern that was neither good nor evil, neither right nor wrong.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
