fly
noun
any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially of the family Muscidae, as the common housefly.
had been flying
-
past perfect progressiveof fly.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.
She had been flying in news choppers since 2010.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Sullenberger had been flying for 40 years before Flight 1549.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Among them was Ian Scott, who had been flying from Melbourne to Venice via Doha.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
The pilot had been flying an AH-1J Super Cobra attack model, which had been bought by Iran’s previous regime from American manufacturer Bell in 1971.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
He had been flying more and more frequently, but always in the past he’d done so because something had startled him, and he’d returned quickly to the ground.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
