congratulate
verb (used with object)
to express pleasure to (a person), as on a happy occasion.
were congratulating
-
past progressiveof congratulate.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.
By last week, they were congratulating themselves on avoiding that trap.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 18, 2022
In large measure, it worked, and by the early 2000s, countries were congratulating themselves for having won the war.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2022
Everyone was calling me and they were congratulating me and saying, “We’re so happy that finally you’re going to be together.”
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2020
“Suleimani completely outmaneuvered them, and in public they were congratulating themselves for putting the government together.”
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 23, 2013
My aunts and uncles and cousins were congratulating me on the drawings I made for the sides of the obelisk.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
