hurt
verb (used with object)
to cause bodily injury to; injure.
was hurting
-
past progressiveof hurt.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.
In a December Rand survey, about two-thirds of college students who used AI for homework agreed the technology was hurting critical-thinking skills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
She fretted that her husband was hurting and hadn’t eaten that day, but Wardlaw brushed her concerns aside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
"I was getting blood in my urine... it was hurting all the time to urinate."
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025
“I was so scared that something was seriously damaged or wrong because it was hurting so much,” she explains.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2025
Usually, this would be the cue for me to make myself invisible, but I was hurting too bad, and I was not in the mood.
From "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes
