claim
verb (used with object)
to demand by or as by virtue of a right; demand as a right or as due.
had been claiming
-
past perfect progressiveof claim.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.
This week the watchdog contacted Mr Rainsford to confirm it agreed with what he had been claiming for five years.
From BBC ● May 8, 2025
Peter Murrell resigned just after his wife left office, after admitting that the party had been claiming to have 100,000 members when membership had plunged to 70,000.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 12, 2023
Saudi Arabia made a stark turn in its narrative about what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, finally agreeing with Turkish officials who had been claiming the journalist was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2018
Investigators were alerted after they discovered the gang had been claiming to trade phones made by Sony Ericsson and Samsung which, although they had been unveiled in promotional campaigns, were not yet on sale.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 8, 2012
These territories had been in dispute between France and the Holy See for a matter of some two hundred years, during which the Popes had been claiming dominion over them.
From The Life of Cesare Borgia by Rafael Sabatini
