burn
verb (used without object)
to undergo rapid combustion or consume fuel in such a way as to give off heat, gases, and, usually, light; be on fire.
had been burning
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past perfect progressiveof burn.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 September 2, the 2026 fires had been burning for about a month and had already released roughly 10 percent of the amount produced during the 2015 crisis.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Residents were ordered to evacuate two nearby villages as the flames consumed a third of the High Fens, with local officials warning the fire - which had been burning since Friday - could reach homes.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The Dixie fire had been burning for seven days when, on July 20, 2021, an investigator first came across Maynard, who was about 200 yards from what would later be called the Cascade fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2024
Earlier this month, a fire had been burning slowly in the ruins of the port's grain silos, giving off an orange glow visible at night from nearby neighbourhoods.
From Reuters ● Jul. 31, 2022
The fire inside the Atashkadeh had been burning for fifteen hundred years.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
