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 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

After a brief conversation, he told me that his friend had been catching sharks all evening—lots of them.

From Slate • Sep. 1, 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

English, French, and Basque mariners had been catching codfish in the northwest Atlantic for several decades before Columbus’s voyages.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

I had been catching long enough to judge a fastball just by the sound.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson