cease
verb (used without object)
to stop; discontinue.
had been ceasing
-
past perfect progressiveof cease.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.
Slowly, unconsciously, unevenly, yet steadily, the colonies had been ceasing to be dependencies and had been becoming nations.
From The Canadian Dominion; a chronicle of our northern neighbor by Oscar Douglas Skelton
