learn
verb (used with object)
to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience.
were learning
-
past progressiveof learn.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.
Lawyers were learning from their clients and family members both what happened and how to structure the legal claims.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
At a government training camp, former Maoist foot soldiers were learning new trades.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Still, many were learning a hard lesson on Tuesday about overreliance on historical patterns.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 3, 2026
“We were learning what freedom was,” Mikhail Gorbachev would later write to Ms. Pugacheva, “but you didn’t have to learn. You were already an example of a free person—and a brave one.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
And here at nursery school, probably all the children were learning to be nurses, and that meant—oh, no...
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
