ache
verb (used without object)
to have or suffer a continuous, dull pain.
had been aching
-
past perfect progressiveof ache.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.
Something in Montaigne’s voice, the particular texture of its introspection, opened a vein that had been aching to pop.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 6, 2014
The Deseret News, which had been aching to even the score with the Tribune,* knew just how to react: it plastered self-congratulations all over the paper.
From Time Magazine Archive
The sun was hot, and his head, which had been aching more or less all day, now began to throb violently.
From Warlock o' Glenwarlock by George MacDonald
Her head had been aching all day, and by the time tea was over she could hardly hold it up.
From Fifty-Two Stories For Girls by Alfred H. (Alfred Henry) Miles
Her head had been aching for two days, the result of long confinement and too many bonbons.
From The Californians by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton
