clasp
noun
a device, usually of metal, for fastening together two or more things or parts of the same thing.
had been clasping
-
past perfect progressiveof clasp.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.
She set down the Barbie teacup filled with lemonade she had been clasping to show her fingers.
From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2019
I felt no more, as I gazed, than if it had been a bundle he had been clasping to his bosom.
From Paul Gosslett's Confessions in Love, Law, and The Civil Service by Charles James Lever
Releasing the soft hands I had been clasping so tightly in momentary forgetfulness, I led the lady to a seat, even finding another myself before venturing upon reply.
From Prisoners of Chance The Story of What Befell Geoffrey Benteen, Borderman, through His Love for a Lady of France by Randall Parrish
Paul straightened himself, and reverently laid the little white hand which he had been clasping across the coverlet.
From A Monk of Cruta by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
She had been clasping her knee with her linked fingers, but separated them and leaned backward on the sofa with affected consternation, but an expression of growing amusement in her bright eyes.
From Sally Dows by Bret Harte
