whet
verb (used with object)
to sharpen (a knife, tool, etc.) by grinding or friction.
were whetting
-
past progressiveof whet.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.
But it was hard not to feel like these bite-size concerts were whetting the appetite for a full meal that may never come this way again.
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2023
Isolationist Senators were whetting their knives for his "Morgan Board."
From Time Magazine Archive
Great menu—raw fish, cocoanuts, more cocoanuts, and then, just when we were whetting our teeth for a nice fat snake or an entree of caterpillars, I landed that old papa leopard.
From Out of the Primitive by Bennet, Robert Ames
Such thoughts passed in instantaneous, successive flashes through the Rector's mind, as though the imminence of death were whetting his dull intelligence.
From Mayflower (Flor de mayo) A Tale of the Valencian Seashore by Livingston, Arthur
