drink
verb (used without object)
to take water or other liquid into the mouth and swallow it; imbibe.
had been drinking
-
past perfect progressiveof drink.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.
He hammered Grossman with questions about whether his wife had been drinking and racing with Erickson the night that she struck the boys with her Mercedes SUV at what experts testified was nearly 73 mph.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
According to the family, Diarra had been drinking a coffee outside the shelter when he encountered police officers and the situation deteriorated.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
Amiri had been drinking tea at home with her grandmother in August 2021 when she heard that the Taliban had returned.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2025
“We figured he had maybe an hour left. He was very hypothermic and said he had been drinking a lot of salt water.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 1, 2023
Peewee had been drinking a Coke; he started with a fit of laughter, and snorted the Coke out through his nose and all down the front of his T-shirt.
From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
