languish
verb (used without object)
to be or become weak or feeble; droop; fade.
were languishing
-
past progressiveof languish.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.
In 2025, SoftBank bought a 2% stake for $2 billion while the chip maker was in trouble and its shares were languishing at $23.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
Energy stocks have followed rising oil prices, which were languishing in the danger zone for many American producers before climbing this year as tensions flared in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026
He says mandatory medical and care management reviews were not always happening, leaving some patients' conditions untreated, and some "were languishing in crisis for weeks… for months".
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
Instead, some bodies were languishing in a building, some for four years.
From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2024
Reports reached us that these Polish Jews were languishing on the border in a squalid no-man's-land of temporary camps.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
