bend
verb (used with object)
to force (an object, especially a long or thin one) from a straight form into a curved or angular one, or from a curved or angular form into some different form.
had been bending
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past perfect progressiveof bend.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.
“It felt as if I had been bending all of this to my will, and now we knew then there was no controlling it,” says Nora.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 4, 2016
Though the Mustangs weren’t caught till a decade after Meyer arrived in Dallas, there’s every reason to suspect SMU and its boosters had been bending the rules for years.
From Time ● Feb. 25, 2015
The defense that only had been bending, suddenly was breaking.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 30, 2011
All that day the outer ridge of the Emyn Muil had been bending gradually northward, as they struggled on.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
"She shall have it!" cried a voice from the bed, where Vard had been bending forward, drinking in every word.
From The Destroyer A Tale of International Intrigue by Burton Egbert Stevenson
