fear
noun
a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
were fearing
-
past progressiveof fear.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.
“Investors were fearing a growth slowdown. By boosting its revenue guidance through inorganic growth, Adyen gave the market the number it wanted to see,” de Villeneuve says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Though the company said its fourth-quarter results would be in line with expectations, analysts were fearing the worst on the outlook.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026
But Lee, a seasoned politician, successfully turned on the charm and averted what officials were fearing - a repeat of what happened to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky or South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2025
“We in the voting rights community in Texas were fearing the worst,” said Anthony Gutierrez, director of Common Cause Texas, on Wednesday.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 2022
It was possible that the people of Chastel did not return because they were fearing another attack.
From The Hosts of the Air by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
