WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
past′ progres′sive, [Gram.](in English)
- Grammara verb form consisting of an auxiliary be in the past tense followed by a present participle and used esp. to indicate that an action or event was incomplete or in progress at a point of reference in the past, as was sleeping in I was sleeping when the phone rang. Also called past continuous.
'past progressive' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):