delude
verb (used with object)
to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive.
had been deluding
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past perfect progressiveof delude.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.
But now we knew that we couldn’t do anything; that, in fact, we had been deluding ourselves all along, and that the window of delusion was being eclipsed by an overpowering darkness.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 26, 2018
When Ho's forces surprised U.S. troops with the Tet offensive on Jan. 30, 1968, threatening Saigon, most Americans realized the government had been deluding itself that victory was close at hand.
From Time Magazine Archive
My uncle and aunt Edward were horridly savage, chiefly because I hindered them from going to Italy; and Mrs. George Gardner thought I had been deluding Mark!
From Heartsease, Or, the Brother's Wife by Charlotte Mary Yonge
I regarded all that had passed as a dream, and I thought I had been deluding myself into an idea of possessing poetic genius, when, in fact, I had only the longing, without the afflatus.
From The Poetical Works of Henry Kirk White : With a Memoir by Sir Harris Nicolas by Henry Kirk White
But, to tell you the truth, Helen, I had been deluding myself with the hope that you would one day be my sister.
From The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
