give
verb (used with object)
to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow.
were giving
-
past progressiveof give.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.
“We were giving checks to people to pay their rent before federal funds came through,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Howard said he would "never forget the generosity" of his fellow comics, who were giving their time to the show "completely free of charge".
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
“After he died, it became very clear that the story they were giving us was just completely ridiculous,” said That Girl Mom, a former paralegal based in Alabama with around 160,000 followers.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
At one point, they were giving money to this person who was an infiltrator.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
Lately, I’d found myself praying mostly in times of distress, when classes felt too hard, when the members of my fencing team were giving me a hard time, or when I was homesick.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
