declare
verb (used with object)
to make known or state clearly, especially in explicit or formal terms.
were declaring
-
past progressiveof declare.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 the mid-2010s, L.A. officials, including Police Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Eric Garcetti, were declaring they could not “arrest their way out of homelessness,” but ticketing and arrests continued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025
It worked: By 1935, even local newspapers like the News and Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, were declaring that “PINK IS FAVORITE.”
From National Geographic ● Jul. 21, 2023
By century’s end, even non-economists reviewing mass-market books for nonbusiness publications were declaring that capitalism is great for efficiency but “cannot achieve moral aims.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 11, 2022
People all across the country were being swindled by relatives who were declaring them dead in order to take their land.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2021
Everywhere I looked, articles in magazines, newspapers, and online were declaring me America’s best hope to win five gold medals in Rio.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
