were screeching
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past progressiveof screech.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
screechverb (used without object)to utter or make a harsh, shrill cry or sound.
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.
Several minutes later, personal cellphones around Seoul were screeching with a government alert urging residents to “prepare to evacuate,” children and the old and weak first.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2023
By evening, areas from Philadelphia to New York to Connecticut were in their first-ever flash flood emergency, and cellphones were screeching with multiple Weather Service and local government alerts.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2021
One afternoon in January, machines were screeching, sparks were flying and 74 employees were working on dozens of sculptures-in-progress.
From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2015
The faces of some were painted blue, he says, and they were "screeching" at each other at the top of their lungs.
From Time Magazine Archive
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They were screeching and soaring and nesting on the hillsides.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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