observe
verb (used with object)
to see, watch, perceive, or notice.
were observing
-
past progressiveof observe.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.
"It was not a quantum spin liquid, yet we were observing what we thought were quantum spin liquid-associated behaviors."
From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2026
That appears to have been the status many Guard members were observing before the Wednesday shooting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
That's when astronomers noticed that galaxies were moving too fast given the amount of light they were observing coming out of them.
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2024
The scientists were observing chimps in Uganda’s Budongo Forest Reserve in 2017 when some scooped dry bat feces from under a hollow tree and devoured it—the first time the behavior was observed in any mammal.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 24, 2024
However, any human beings who were observing the cups would be living in a universe in which disorder decreased with time.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
