catch
verb (used with object)
to seize or capture, especially after pursuit: to catch a runaway horse.
had been catching
-
past perfect progressiveof catch.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.
They had been catching candidates claiming to be in Florida, for example, but actually residing in Brazil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Before the pandemic, Eastern European countries had a lower life expectancy than Western European ones—although it had been catching up.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 21, 2022
“The amount of routes I’m running — I think I’ve ran more routes out here than my previous offense,” said Smith-Schuster, who had been catching passes from Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh the past five seasons.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2022
Mr. Armstrong, who had been catching up on work, met her in the snack aisle, just as she was reaching for a bag of sweet corn chips.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2022
I had been catching long enough to judge a fastball just by the sound.
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
