contract
noun
an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified.
had been contracting
-
past perfect progressiveof contract.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.
The opposite has occurred, largely due to a resurgence in two categories that had been contracting, retail and manufacturing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2018
In fact, the monkeys had been contracting similar symptoms since 1969; there may be no connection with AIDS.
From Time Magazine Archive
For a character it had been contracting during its sojourn in the body, a character of its own.
From The Life of the Waiting Soul in the Intermediate State by Robert Edward Sanderson
The frown which for the last hour had been contracting her level brows disappeared, for she had thought of something to do.
From The Short Line War by Merwin-Webster
