read
verb (used with object)
to look at carefully so as to understand the meaning of (something written, printed, etc.).
was reading
-
past progressiveof read.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.
"I was just over 20, I was probably a little too impatient, without really understanding how much I still had to learn. I wanted to write, I was reading a lot," he wrote.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
I was reading it and more stuff would come to me, so I was adding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
If you look at the terms of these old statutes, for years the court was reading them literally and saying: You’ve got a lot of space here.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
One recent morning, I was reading the newspaper in a sleepy Manhattan cafe when two young women sat beside me and proceeded to conduct a work call on speakerphone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Maybe I was reading too much into it, but it kind of felt like Samira was saying the whole bus thing was my fault.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
