whiten
verb (used with or without object)
to make or become white.
were whitening
-
past progressiveof whiten.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 the intervening portion of the plain were whitening bones, either scattered or accumulated, according as they had fled or had made a stand.
From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 03 by Charles F. (Charles Francis) Horne
Nature, obedient to whose law blossoms were whitening the fruit trees, wheat pricking through the damp earth, robins mating in the orchards, had laid the first thread of her great bond upon these two.
From Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby by Kathleen Thompson Norris
The clover fields along the harbor shore were whitening in the western wind, and Captain Jim had one of his finest sunsets on exhibition.
From Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery
Thousands of the weaker among them had succumbed to starvation or disease, and their bones were whitening the Plains or lying in the vast depths of the Pacific Ocean.
From The Life of Bret Harte With Some Account of the California Pioneers by Henry Childs Merwin
During this time, the bones of the traveler were whitening in the depths of this lost forest of Central Africa, and he no longer lived except in the remembrance of his dog.
From Dick Sand A Captain at Fifteen by Jules Verne
