exchange
verb (used with object)
to give up (something) for something else; part with for some equivalent; change for another.
had been exchanging
-
past perfect progressiveof exchange.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.
Before that split, two or more weakly differentiated Homo populations had been exchanging genes for hundreds of thousands of years.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 26, 2026
Prast had been exchanging notes on the Slack messaging platform with her star reporter Friday morning, when he abruptly dropped the conversation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2022
An investigation also revealed he had been exchanging text messages with a woman before his wife died.
From Fox News ● Dec. 11, 2021
She and Harlow had been exchanging messages via social media.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2016
Any man with an eye for human nature could see at a glance, as Dean saw, that both the aid and his big friend, the quartermaster, had been exchanging comments at the boy's expense.
From Warrior Gap A Story of the Sioux Outbreak of '68. by Charles King
