unroll
verb (used with object)
to open or spread out (something rolled or coiled).
were unrolling
-
past progressiveof unroll.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.
In 1996, when banks and stores were unrolling cybershops, Nicko, far right, and Alex, Ncipher's CTO and CEO, respectively, saw that existing encryption technology was not up to the task.
From Time Magazine Archive
Travelers reported that Ulbricht's border guards were unrolling coils of barbed wire and planting mines along the Czechoslovak frontier to prevent any exodus across it by discontented East Germans.
From Time Magazine Archive
While the others were unrolling blankets and making beds against the walls of the chamber, as far as possible from the hole in the floor, he crept to the edge and peered over.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
The human squatting-place was a trampled area among the dead brown fronds of Royal Fern, through which the crosiers of this year's growth were unrolling to the light and warmth.
From Tales of Space and Time by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Ferns were unrolling round the big square halting place, half way down where the stairs turned.
From The White Peacock by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence
