had been breathing
- past perfect progressive of breathe.
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 dragon had been breathing fire, and Turensek was impressed, wondering how the crew could “let the whole thing catch on fire and still be operational.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2023
She had been breathing heavily before her strange episode in his office.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2022
But streaming had been breathing down its neck; admissions had actually been flat or dropping by small amounts in recent years.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 30, 2021
Here is an example of a patient I might evaluate in my work as a high-risk pregnancy doctor: My patient had been breathing OK after the cesarean delivery, but now she’s not.
From Slate ● Mar. 12, 2020
I had been breathing hard, straining, trying to get at him.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
