erupt
verb (used without object)
to burst forth.
were erupting
-
past progressiveof erupt.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.
Its larger neighbour, Mauna Loa, then began erupting on 27 November after a pause of 38 years, marking the first time in decades that two volcanoes were erupting in Hawaii side-by-side.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2023
The band’s most iconic song is the melancholy, menacing “Ghost Town,” which topped the U.K. music charts in the summer of 1981 as Britain’s cities were erupting in riots.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
From San Francisco to New York to Washington, D.C., big Democratic cities were erupting with spontaneous street parties of singing, honking and dancing on Saturday.
From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2020
The Troubles were erupting around him in Belfast but he made a new life: married his childhood sweetheart, Margaret, had two sons, Paul and Martin, and got a job at a bookmakers.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 13, 2020
Inside, the floor was covered with excrement, and all twelve bowls were erupting like a row of tiny volcanoes.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
