be
verb (used without object)
to exist or live.
had been being
-
past perfect progressiveof be.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.
Track work had been being done Monday and a derailment device had been placed to protect workers from oncoming trains, which would be directed elsewhere.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 30, 2022
They had been being detained for further investigation, police said.
From Reuters ● Apr. 6, 2022
Last year, he told Italian media that he had been being sacked because he was suspected of giving Church money to his brothers, but denied the allegations.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2021
“My son passed away shortly after I started here nine years ago, and part of my grief had been being here and keeping busy.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2018
And, indeed, they were now grown far better soldiers than ever they had been, being so continually kept in training, by the frequency of the Lacedaemonian expeditions against them.
From Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans by Arthur Hugh Clough
