dictate
verb (used with object)
to say or read (something) aloud for another person to transcribe or for a machine to record.
were dictating
-
past progressiveof dictate.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.
This price reduction may have already been decided, but it gave the impression that the pricing had not been thought through, and that famous users were dictating the policy.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2022
He sounds eerily as though he were dictating his own epitaph.
From The Guardian ● May 24, 2018
The court said the restrictions didn't violate freedom of movement if German authorities were dictating residency requirements based on its assessment of the best way to integrate them into society.
From US News ● Mar. 1, 2016
He took it to the level where we were not the ones having to make adjustments; we were dictating to other teams.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2010
Every syllable was as distinctly uttered as if she were dictating to a secretary, but she ignored all the curious glances turned her way and resumed her reading with an air of great dignity.
From Dorothy's Travels by S. Schneider
