begin
verb (used without object)
to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start.
had been beginning
-
past perfect progressiveof begin.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.
The count of what is known as "excess deaths" had been beginning to rise before 2020 and there are other factors at play too, such as an ageing population.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2022
They had been beginning to hate each other.
From The Mountebank by William John Locke
She need not prepare him against the mere fact of his father's death; he had been beginning to believe that already; but these things must have far more meaning for him than merely that.
From The Indian Drum by Edwin Balmer
Because they had been beginning to grow anxious on his behalf, they gave him the greater welcome.
From Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
It seemed, too, to set him right in his own eyes, to sweep away a creeping feeling that had been beginning to trouble him.
From The Call of the Blood by Orson Lowell
