copy
noun
an imitation, reproduction, or transcript of an original.
had been copying
-
past perfect progressiveof copy.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.
He had been copying Elliott Smith and Nick Drake songs, though he found it unsatisfying to play music that was written to be heard as part of a group.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 27, 2019
He explained that Sherman and his colleague Marin Cogan had heard Bardella had been copying me on e-mails.
From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 2013
They seemed, at times, to come and go almost daily, with the exception of Miss Trixie, the octogenarian assistant accountant, who had been copying figures inaccurately into the Levy' ledgers for almost half a century.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
This volume was open at a page of small coloured plates, and Isabel presently saw that he had been copying from it the drawing of an antique coin.
From The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 2 by Henry James
For years she had been copying some moth-eaten fragments of Stuart tapestry, and at her death left the work still uncompleted.
From The Nebuly Coat by John Meade Falkner
