kneel
verb (used without object)
to go down or rest on the knees or a knee.
were kneeling
-
past progressiveof kneel.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.
Another video showed officers hauling away people who were kneeling while conducting Muslim prayers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
“They were kneeling when the state troopers charged,” she said then.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2024
By then, several of the group were kneeling on the soft rubber tops of the boards or even sitting down as they stroked forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2022
Ms. Harris described the marchers on that day as “preparing for the worst” and were kneeling in prayer as the state troopers charged at them.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 6, 2022
Hassan shouted, and when Colin opened his eyes, he saw fuzzily that Hassan and Lindsey Lee Wells were kneeling, peering down at him.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
