beam
noun
any of various relatively long pieces of metal, wood, stone, etc., manufactured or shaped especially for use as rigid members or parts of structures or machines.
had been beaming
-
past perfect progressiveof beam.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.
Beth had been beaming round blandly on the group; but upon that last remark of Uncle James's the pleased smile faded from her face, and she coloured painfully, and offered him a small reluctant hand.
From The Beth Book Being a Study of the Life of Elizabeth Caldwell Maclure, a Woman of Genius by Grand, Sarah
The three boys who had been beaming on him with good humor in their eyes stared blankly.
From The Jester of St. Timothy's by Pier, Arthur Stanwood
None knew him, save the clear star, which had been beaming for centuries; it knew the course of his earthly life, his trials, his failings; it knew that he was: "but a man!"
From The Ice-Maiden: and Other Tales. by Fuller, Fanny
Even as the girl spoke, the sphere, which had been beaming in the centre of the silent square like a mighty white jewel, began to flush with angry red.
From Gulliver of Mars by Arnold, Edwin Lester Linden
Margery's countenance, which before had been beaming with expectation, lost its brightness: her lips became close, and her voice broken.
From The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid by Hardy, Thomas
