fasten
verb (used with object)
to attach firmly or securely in place; fix securely to something else.
were fastening
-
past progressiveof fasten.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.
Soon, surgeons were fastening the disc of skull — newly notched to let the rerouted artery pass through — back into place with tiny mending plates, and closing her scalp with forty staples.
From New York Times ● Jan. 8, 2018
Children were in school; men were at work; and most of the women were fastening their corsets and getting ready to go see what tails or entrails the butcher might be giving away.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
Then she saw that they were fastening a strong metal ring to the top of it.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
When Maria and the teacher were fastening her dress again, she fainted the second time.
From By the Light of the Soul A Novel by Harold M. Brett
For while they were fastening the last buckles, the door at the top of the stairs opened, and again that night Clementina whispered,— "I am ready."
From Clementina by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason
