"recherchaient" meaning in Français

{
  "anagrams": [
    {
      "word": "chercheraient"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    {
      "kind": "other",
      "name": "Formes de verbes en français",
      "parents": [],
      "source": "w"
    },
    {
      "kind": "other",
      "name": "Français",
      "orig": "français",
      "parents": [],
      "source": "w"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ils/elles recherchaient"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Français",
  "lang_code": "fr",
  "pos": "verb",
  "pos_title": "Forme de verbe",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Exemples en français",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              22,
              35
            ],
            [
              60,
              73
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "Maud Mayeras, Reflex, Anne Carrière, 2013",
          "text": "C’était l’arme qu’ils recherchaient, près de l’homme qu’ils recherchaient."
        }
      ],
      "form_of": [
        {
          "word": "rechercher"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de l’indicatif de rechercher."
      ],
      "id": "fr-recherchaient-fr-verb---c74a3O"
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "\\ʁə.ʃɛʁ.ʃɛ\\"
    }
  ],
  "tags": [
    "form-of"
  ],
  "word": "recherchaient"
}

{
  "anagrams": [
    {
      "word": "chercheraient"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "Formes de verbes en français",
    "français"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ils/elles recherchaient"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Français",
  "lang_code": "fr",
  "pos": "verb",
  "pos_title": "Forme de verbe",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Exemples en français"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              22,
              35
            ],
            [
              60,
              73
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "Maud Mayeras, Reflex, Anne Carrière, 2013",
          "text": "C’était l’arme qu’ils recherchaient, près de l’homme qu’ils recherchaient."
        }
      ],
      "form_of": [
        {
          "word": "rechercher"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de l’indicatif de rechercher."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "\\ʁə.ʃɛʁ.ʃɛ\\"
    }
  ],
  "tags": [
    "form-of"
  ],
  "word": "recherchaient"
}