compare
verb (used with object)
to examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences.
had been comparing
-
past perfect progressiveof compare.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.
With a Ukrainian flag around her shoulders, she said she had been comparing the city with London, and Liverpool had come out on top.
From Reuters ● May 11, 2023
As far back as 2016, investigators found, he had been comparing her appearance favorably to a woman he had dated, a claim backed up by a witness and a contemporaneous email.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 7, 2021
Years before “Hamilton” opened at the Public on Feb. 17, 2015, I had been comparing Lin to Shakespeare.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2017
Egyptian blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy told the BBC that people had been comparing the Tunisian political situation with their own.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2011
Perhaps both the girls at last understood him, and had been comparing notes, to his infinite disadvantage.
From Nature's Serial Story by Edward Payson Roe
