unlock
verb (used with object)
to undo the lock of (a door, chest, etc.), especially with a key.
were unlocking
-
past progressiveof unlock.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.
Two young women were unlocking their bikes from a pole when I approached them.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2024
They were unlocking the game’s secrets, the stuff competitive players take for granted now: which letters to play off, which to keep, when to play a phony, how to win.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2014
The next morning I was at the lower Fifth Avenue store as they were unlocking the doors.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2010
It was Wednesday morning just as Father and I were unlocking our workbenches that Peter’s little sister Cocky burst into the shop.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
She felt as if she were unlocking a treasure-house, and it was with unspeakable pleasure to herself that she gave, verse after verse, the entire poem of "The Lady of Shalott."
From Authors and Friends by Annie Fields
