dial
noun
a plate, disk, face, or other surface containing markings or figures upon which the time of day is indicated by hands, pointers, or shadows, as of a clock or sundial.
were dialing
-
past progressiveof dial.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.
They were dialing back those expectations late-morning Wednesday to a 37.1% probability, after a reading on August inflation from the personal consumption expenditures price index showed that its year-over-year climb eased to 3.4%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Wednesday's planned meeting at Hatzerim base suggested all sides of the corps were dialing down a demonstration that has shaken a country used to the military staying clear of politics.
From Reuters ● Mar. 7, 2023
The neighbors called the government’s 119 emergency response hotline on the family’s behalf, but so many flood victims were dialing in that their calls did not go through.
From New York Times ● Aug. 10, 2022
Neel Kashkari, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, said in an interview late last week that he did not understand why markets were dialing back their expectations for Fed rate increases.
From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
People who had pledged to invest half a million dollars were dialing back to $200,000.
From Time Magazine Archive
