exert
verb (used with object)
to put forth or into use, as power; exercise, as ability or influence; put into vigorous action.
had been exerting
-
past perfect progressiveof exert.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.
Lue said he kept Westbrook in the game late in the fourth quarter and the first overtime because the Kings had been exerting good ball pressure and “the pressure doesn’t bother him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2023
Several said the United States had been exerting pressure for months to see Mas’ud handed over.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 17, 2022
Nicole was headed west because of a blocking dome of high pressure at the mid-latitudes that had been exerting a southward push on it.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 9, 2022
Many countries, including the United States, had been exerting enormous pressure on Pakistan to keep Mr. Sheikh in jail.
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2021
Already indeed, before the abduction of his son, Orange from his safe retreat at Dillenburg had been exerting himself to raise troops for the invasion of the Netherlands.
From History of Holland by George Edmundson
