oblige
verb (used with object)
to require or constrain, as by law, command, conscience, or force of necessity.
were obliging
-
past progressiveof oblige.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.
Bournemouth were obliging opponents as they suffered a ninth straight away defeat in all competitions, but even the lifelong Liverpool fan was struck by the convincing reaction from everyone at Anfield.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 11, 2019
The three who looked after us were obliging but also warm, and not overly formal.
From New York Times ● May 7, 2018
Oliver Tambo and the ANC had called for the people of South Africa to render the country ungovernable, and the people were obliging.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
“You were obliging the W. C. T. U. then, I reckon.”
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
I begged some mounted militia-men to take me and my Oneidas up behind them; and they were obliging enough to do so; and we jogged away into the rosy dusk of an August evening.
From The Little Red Foot by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers
