cross
noun
a structure consisting essentially of an upright and a transverse piece, used to execute persons in ancient times.
had been crossing
-
past perfect progressiveof cross.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.
It had not been seen since it reportedly entered the region in January but it had been crossing the open sea where satellite coverage is limited.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
But earlier versions of the shipping container had been crossing Seattle docks for a few years.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2022
For decades, women had been crossing the border into Mexico to get the procedure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2022
“In that same breath, all the things I had been crossing my fingers about just came out, and I just bawled and bawled and bawled.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2021
While a party of children had been crossing the ice in the harbour to school, a treacherous rapid had caused it to give way and leave a number of them in the water.
From A Labrador Doctor The Autobiography of Wilfred Thomason Grenfell by Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell
