open
adjective
not closed or barred at the time, as a doorway by a door, a window by a sash, or a gateway by a gate.
were opening
-
past progressiveof open.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 Sacramento, Trout and Neto were opening a box.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
"Reductions of this scale inevitably mean some compulsory redundancies, though we will work hard to avoid this wherever we can," Brittin said, noting a growing number of voluntary redundancy windows were opening.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
“We were opening a new way of living our sport,” Domenicali said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
New mines for gold, copper, rare earths, platinum and coal were opening, he said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
My father was not there when they left; the roads were opening up and all the highway crews were working.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
