fester
verb (used without object)
to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate.
had been festering
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past perfect progressiveof fester.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.
Issues between Adams and the Raiders had been festering since last season when he said on a Netflix documentary that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was going to get him killed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2024
Angst over overtourism had been festering before the pandemic, and the confluence of the coronavirus and tourists created a flash point.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 17, 2021
Cultural clashes based on generation, race, gender, politics, and ideology, all of which had been festering for years, would dramatically alter the national climate by decade’s end.
From Slate ● May 26, 2017
“It’s like a blister, it just popped. It had been festering and festering and festering,” John Morgan, a Florida-based Clinton donor, said of Wasserman Schultz’s rocky tenure, which he has long criticized.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 25, 2016
As I soon found out, anger at me had been festering in him ever since yesterday, and Aunt Loma’s fit brought it to a head.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
