intensify
verb (used with object)
to make intense or more intense.
were intensifying
-
past progressiveof intensify.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.
Among the speakers was a fast-food worker at McDonald’s, who said she feared going to work every day last summer when ICE raids were intensifying in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
Deforestation, reduced river flows from hydroelectric dams, and an exodus of people from rural areas were intensifying the country's wildfires and putting forests at greater risk, Diku said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025
He added that the Egyptian Navy warship El Fateh and military aircraft were intensifying their efforts to locate the missing.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
She married Michael Jackson, just as concerns about his behavior with children were crescendoing, and his efforts to remake his face were intensifying.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2023
Concerns about innocence and the death penalty were intensifying, and support for the death penalty in opinion polls began to drop.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
