select
verb (used with object)
to choose in preference to another or others; pick out.
was selecting
-
past progressiveof select.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.
Their goal was selecting the right problems to work on, like the mathematicians who chose the Millennium Prize Problems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
In March, the commission announced it was selecting a record 51 projects with tax incentives, marking the most amount of awarded films in a single application window.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2025
Besson revealed that one of the major challenges of the film was selecting, and then working with, a pack of dogs who are the love and pride of the tortured protagonist.
From Reuters ● Aug. 31, 2023
And all this refocusing on implosion was going to require a lot of calculations to make sure the lab was selecting the right design.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 3, 2023
Meantime, Mr. Rochester had again summoned the ladies round him, and was selecting certain of their number to be of his party.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
