kill
verb (used with object)
to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of; slay.
were killing
-
past progressiveof kill.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.
Elephants around Lake Manyara in Tanzania were killing acacia trees by ripping off bark and leaving “pale ghostly white trunks.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
“If we were killing animals, we’d never be making any money,” Salomon told the Daily Mail Online in coverage of PETA’s investigation.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025
In the same speech, he said that when snipers were killing American soldiers in Afghanistan he spoke with the Taliban leader:
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2024
Jeff Moore and his wife, Laura, were killing time at the truck stop before they had to pick up a load of Nestle water in Cabezon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2023
Jamie was always low on steps after track practice; he was usually starving, his knees were killing him from crawling, and no one else was home yet.
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
