fill
verb (used with object)
to make full; put as much as can be held into.
had been filling
-
past perfect progressiveof fill.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.
The six-foot deep pothole had been filling with water for years, even causing low water pressure in nearby houses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
She was rushed back to the Royal Sussex where they discovered the joint between the two intestines had torn, and "for 10 days it had been filling up my abdomen with bowel matter."
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2025
Fans had been filling the bars around Dortmund’s stadium since the early morning.
From Washington Times ● May 27, 2023
Emilia Zarazua had fallen ill with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, just one of the viruses that had been filling the beds at the pediatric intensive care unit for weeks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2023
He was a fastidious, precise man who ordinarily taught math but had been filling in for the regular art teacher.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
