besiege
verb (used with object)
to lay siege to.
had been besieging
-
past perfect progressiveof besiege.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.
By the time Allied forces made landfall at Normandy, Soviet forces had been besieging Berlin for more than six months.
From Fox News ● Jun. 6, 2019
This not only gained for the Russians a large booty in prisoners, munitions, and equipment, but also released the great army that had been besieging the fortress.
From The Story of the Great War, Volume IV (of 8) Champagne, Artois, Grodno; Fall of Nish; Caucasus; Mesopotamia; Development of Air Strategy; United States and the War by Francis Trevelyan Miller
While a portion of his army had been besieging Colberg, Gustavus had been driving the Imperialists out of the whole of Pomerania.
From The Lion of the North A tale of the times of Gustavus Adolphus by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
Louis, who had been besieging Dover, at once sent to France for another army.
From Flag and Fleet How the British Navy Won the Freedom of the Seas by William Charles Henry Wood
For six months the flower of the Israelitish army, twelve thousand in number, under the leadership of Joab, had been besieging the capital city of the Amalekites without result.
From The Legends of the Jews — Volume 4 by Paul Radin
