dictate
verb (used with object)
to say or read (something) aloud for another person to transcribe or for a machine to record.
had been dictating
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past perfect progressiveof dictate.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.
On his flight out of town that night, sitting next to his father, he marveled at the cosmic underpinnings of the night, as if destiny had been dictating events.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 4, 2018
For many years, Tony had been dictating his nightly accounts of each day's events .
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2014
"Uncle Joe" Grundy, as Martin still calls him, had been dictating tariff bills since 1897.
From Time Magazine Archive
He immediately sent them back to the English camp with a document he had been dictating, refusing to deliver himself up.
From Our Soldiers Gallant Deeds of the British Army during Victoria's Reign by Kingston, William Henry Giles
Phipps welcomed him without any particular enthusiasm, but promptly dismissed the typist to whom he had been dictating.
From The Profiteers by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
