chime
noun
an apparatus for striking a bell so as to produce a musical sound, as one at the front door of a house by which visitors announce their presence.
had been chiming
-
past perfect progressiveof chime.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.
Big Ben had been chiming since 1859, but this was the first time that its distinctive "bong" was heard outside of its immediate vicinity in Westminster.
From BBC ● Dec. 30, 2023
The bell that had been chiming inside her fell silent.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
The sun had set; the evening bells that had been chiming were hushed.
From The Sand-Hills of Jutland by Mrs. (Anna S.) Bushby
We lingered before starting for church till long after the bells had been chiming, but neither of them came.
From The Little Gleaner, Vol. X. A Monthly Magazine for the Young by Various
Aloft there the clock began to chime out the eight notes it had chimed, at noon and at midnight, through his boyhood, and had been chiming faithfully ever since.
From Hocken and Hunken by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
