dine
verb (used without object)
to eat the principal meal of the day; have dinner.
had been dining
-
past perfect progressiveof dine.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.
Madeleine's parents had been dining with friends at a restaurant a short walk away while their daughter and her younger twin siblings were asleep in the ground-floor apartment.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025
The governor and his wife are then joined near their vehicle by their daughter, who had been dining with them, at which point the man in the video leaves them alone.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2022
Wheeler had been dining in a tented area with Sam Adams, who served one term as Portland mayor, from 2009 to 2013.
From Fox News ● Jan. 27, 2021
Martin’s even produced a witness two years ago, a former White House chief of protocol who had been dining at the restaurant that night, although he admits he didn’t see the proposal take place.
From Washington Post ● May 18, 2017
“Mr. de Winter had been dining with Mr. Crawley down at his house,” she went on.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
