carve
verb (used with object)
to cut (a solid material) so as to form something.
had been carving
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past perfect progressiveof carve.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.
Before the queen died, Meghan had been carving this individual lane for herself as a personality, appearing on magazine covers, doing her podcast.
From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2022
Then Governor of California, Reagan had been carving the turkey, he said, when he became alarmed at the sight of blood.
From Time Magazine Archive
Mr. Pirzada began carving, without the least bit of intimidation, as if he had been carving jack-o’-lantems his whole life.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Her eyes landed on the gloomy hearth, where the odd crutch her gran had been carving when she had taken ill still stood half-whittled.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
To support herself, she rested one hand on the block he had been carving, while she pressed the other against her heart, as though to stifle pain.
From Sister Dolorosa and Posthumous Fame by James Lane Allen
