had been eyeing

• past perfect progressive

  past perfect progressive

  Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.

  of eye.
  eye

  noun

  the organ of sight, in vertebrates typically one of a pair of spherical bodies contained in an orbit of the skull and in humans appearing externally as a dense, white, curved membrane, or sclera, surrounding a circular, colored portion, or iris, that is covered by a clear, curved membrane, or cornea, and in the center of which is an opening, or pupil, through which light passes to the retina.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

had been eyeing

The Weiss family, which founded Mel’s Drive-In diner in 1947, had been eyeing the property for years and signed a lease in 2016.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

Before the sale of the company, she had been eyeing retirement, but a friend said it was worth sticking around, to see if Walker rewarded employees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025

“Even so, the pause could last weeks to months, imposing significant costs on developers who had been eyeing completion within the next two years.”

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025

She had been eyeing the presidency for a number of years and was the first candidate to announce she would run back in July.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025

O’Dell had been eyeing a senior cheerleader standing in the aisle.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• check out
• contemplate
• inspect
• look at
• scan
• scrutinize