accuse
verb (used with object)
to charge with the fault, offense, or crime (usually followed byof ).
had been accusing
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past perfect progressiveof accuse.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Taylor, 34, and Shumpert, 35, both had been accusing each other of violating the agreement by leaking their settlement terms to blogs, according to court documents filed Aug. 5 in Georgia’s Fulton County Superior Court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2025
For months, critics had been accusing Cooperatives Minister Hojatollah Abdolmaleki of hiring friends and family members to work at the agency, a charge he denied, according to state media.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 13, 2022
Proctor became a critic of the witch trials not long after the mass hysteria began, arguing "the afflicted girls, who had been accusing many of the villagers of witchcraft, were frauds and liars," historyofmassachusetts.org reported.
From Fox News ● Oct. 20, 2018
Carl Lewis, 100-meter run, 1988: Lewis had been accusing winner Ben Johnson of steroid use for years before these Olympics, so he had a reason to feel resentful about taking second place.
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2014
The same voice which had been accusing her chauffeur of bad judgment and ignorance of city laws.
From Polly's Business Venture by Lillian Elizabeth Roy
