brush
noun
an implement consisting of bristles, hair, or the like, set in or attached to a handle, used for painting, cleaning, polishing, grooming, etc.
had been brushing
-
past perfect progressiveof brush.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.
She had been brushing broken-up road surface off the pavement at her house when she sized up the potholes and said to herself: "Och, just go for it".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2024
Either way, Charlie had been brushing off her advice since the percentage was a mere, modest half of all life.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2022
She had been brushing up before arriving here.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2022
Perhaps Cruz had been brushing up on his Ayn Rand.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 22, 2018
Asked if he had been brushing up on his German, Ebright shot back, “I don’t expect to have to have any knowledge of the language.”
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
