putter
verb (used without object)
to busy or occupy oneself in a leisurely, casual, or ineffective manner.
were puttering
-
past progressiveof putter.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.
ARABI, Louisiana—The water is breaking gently around the hull of the crew boat Miss Emerson, as if she were puttering across a muddy lake.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2019
Below decks, oilers were puttering around the purring Diesels.
From Time Magazine Archive
Half a kilometer downstream, some fishing boats were puttering along.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
He approached the mechanics who were puttering about the machine.
From The Million Dollar Mystery Novelized from the Scenario of F. Lonergan by Harold MacGrath
