Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The memory producers were printing money the way the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026
“They came out with Richie Riches like they were printing money,” said Jonny Harvey, a grandson of Leon Harvey, whose twin brother, Alfred, founded the company.
From New York Times ● Aug. 6, 2022
A big one: Voters were confused as to why two sheets of paper were printing out.
From The Verge ● Feb. 19, 2020
Within about twenty years there were printing presses in all of the major cities in Western and Southern Europe.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
“Is that what you were printing out this morning?”
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
