bristle
noun
one of the short, stiff, coarse hairs of certain animals, especially hogs, used extensively in making brushes.
had been bristling
-
past perfect progressiveof bristle.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.
Banks had been bristling for years over what they saw as overly intrusive supervision by the federal agents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
According to Pentagon sources, Thurman had been bristling for a fight since American troops stood helplessly by while the October coup was crushed.
From Time Magazine Archive
"I am glad of that," said Sir Terence, who had been bristling.
From The Snare by Rafael Sabatini
