had been cranking

• past perfect progressive

  past perfect progressive

  Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.

  of crank.
  crank

  noun

  any of several types of arms or levers for imparting rotary or oscillatory motion to a rotating shaft, one end of the crank being fixed to the shaft and the other end receiving reciprocating motion from a hand, connecting rod, etc.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

had been cranking

The Titans held Carolina to 279 yards, well below what the NFL’s fifth-best offense had been cranking out.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 17, 2011

They had been cranking on the night of the party, the one that Amber Hass had begged her to attend.

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

Related Words

• zealot