spill
verb (used with object)
to cause or allow to run or fall from a container, especially accidentally or wastefully.
were spilling
-
past progressiveof spill.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.
Higher fuel prices were spilling to shipping costs, airfare and fertilizer.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
But regulator Ofwat said its findings suggested three quarters of Thames Water's storm overflows were spilling "routinely and not in exceptional circumstances".
From BBC ● May 28, 2025
Hundreds of real estate brokers were spilling off the sidewalk and into the street around New York City Hall.
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2024
As kids were spilling out of the gates at Helen Keller Elementary School in Lynwood, outreach worker Alma Aracen tried to talk to the parents crowded outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2022
Poxies filled Seventh Avenue as far as the eye could see, and more were spilling out from the side streets.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
