levy
noun
an imposing or collecting, as of a tax, by authority or force.
was levying
-
past progressiveof levy.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.
Professor Carpenter said the barons were angry with the taxes that the king was levying to fund foreign wars and his abuse of justice, among other issues.
From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2018
Perhaps the bureau’s best-known action to date was levying a $100 million fine against Wells Fargo for opening hundreds of thousands of deposit and credit-card accounts without the customers’ knowledge or consent.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 27, 2017
Ma Bell has long claimed that it was levying high rates on long-distance service as a way of keeping down the cost of local calls.
From Time Magazine Archive
At times, too, the old city was set agog with rumors from the Asiatic provinces opposite that the Sultan was levying unheard-of armies; he had half a million recruits already, but wanted a million.
From The Prince of India — Volume 02 by Lewis Wallace
So it had been held, that using words tending to overawe Parliament, and procure the repeal of a law, was levying war on the King, and therefore treasonable.
From Sketches of Reforms and Reformers, of Great Britain and Ireland by Henry B. Stanton
