Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sri Lanka said an Iranian navy frigate with 180 crew was sinking just outside the island's territorial waters.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
"I tried to get in there, but as I tried I was sinking," she said.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2025
Kennedy, who had basically stopped campaigning for months, was sinking in polls and was running out of cash.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2024
Their father, William Curry, a retired electrical engineer and business executive, was sinking deeper into dementia.
From New York Times ● May 13, 2024
But lying above the center that pulled him down closer felt more familiar to him than any embrace he could remember; and he was sinking into the elemental arms of mountain silence.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
