brighten
verb (used with or without object)
to become or make bright or brighter.
were brightening
-
past progressiveof brighten.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.
The stars were fading and streaks of rose were brightening the eastern horizon as a chartered Learstar, just in from New York, taxied onto an apron at Washington's National Airport.
From Time Magazine Archive
On Catoctin Mountain, a ridge of the Appalachians that runs north to south through the western part of the state, the trees were brightening into soft yellows and golds.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
A few rays of fugitive sunshine were brightening Piccadilly when Geraldine and her escort left the Ritz.
From Kingdom of the Blind by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
The lilacs were coming into flower, the banks were sparkling with flowers: primroses and early hyacinths, summer green and summer light were brightening along the road.
From Old Kensington by Miss Thackeray
The ground was everywhere marked with moose sign; prospects, were brightening.
From The Arctic Prairies : a Canoe-Journey of 2,000 Miles in Search of the Caribou; Being the Account of a Voyage to the Region North of Aylemer Lake by Ernest Thompson Seton
