drift
noun
had been drifting
-
past perfect progressiveof drift.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.
Prof Whitty also warned that although the UK had some of the highest take-up of childhood vaccines in the world, rates had been "drifting down" over the last decade.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
The level of isotopes suggests the stone had been drifting through space for at least 10,000 years before falling to Earth.
From DOGO News ● Sep. 1, 2023
Even before the stop, he had been drifting into disillusionment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2023
The news from the antipodes helped provide direction to markets that had been drifting ahead of the release of minutes of the U.S.
From Reuters ● Aug. 17, 2022
And then it came to her that the boat had been drifting in the same direction all that time.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
