were gentrifying
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past progressiveof gentrify.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
gentrifyverb (used with object)to alter (a deteriorated urban neighborhood) through the buying and renovation of houses and stores by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, raising property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses.
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.
His constituents included business executives, socialites and lobbyists; gays who were gentrifying Dupont Circle; and African Americans who had lived in the rowhouses and apartment buildings east of Logan Circle for generations.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2020
Do you think those protestors were anti-gay, or were they just mad that Taylor and all of her friends were gentrifying their trailer park?
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2019
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And yet parts of the neighborhood were solidly working-class, and the edges of the neighborhood were gentrifying.
From New York Times ● Oct. 10, 2018
The galleries were gentrifying the neighborhood, and the community, many Turks later told reporters, felt encroached upon and left out.
From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2012