breathe
verb (used without object)
to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire.
had been breathing
-
past perfect progressiveof breathe.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 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
But it would take decades for people to realize what they had been breathing in.
From New York Times ● Sep. 29, 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
It was as if he had been breathing through a straw and was finally able to use his whole airway to inhale again.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
