shrivel
verb (used with or without object)
to contract and wrinkle, as from great heat, cold, or dryness.
were shriveling
-
past progressiveof shrivel.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.
The prices of tech companies were shriveling, and they pulled the entire market down.
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2023
Going much later would not make sense, not when temperatures were hovering around 100 degrees and the cherries were shriveling.
From New York Times ● Jul. 3, 2021
He’s 76 and said in times of drought farmers used to blame “that damn witch” for how the tobacco and wheat were shriveling in their fields.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2021
An old-fashion sage once told me that she switched from black to white, “because my guru told me that my black clothes were shriveling my internal organs.”
From Slate ● Mar. 24, 2015
She hesitated for a moment on the front walk, poking at the peach tree, where the blossoms were shriveling and turning brown.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
