foment
verb (used with object)
to instigate or foster (discord, rebellion, etc.); promote the growth or development of.
had been fomenting
-
past perfect progressiveof foment.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.
By the time Nirvana released “Nevermind” in 1991, rock’s underground rebellion had been fomenting for years, and certainly not just in Seattle.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2023
Plans for this eventual rejuvenation had been fomenting throughout the very tiresome and very monotonous journey.
From The Hero by Elaine Wilber
Catherine at the same time summoned to liberty the oppressed and persecuted Greeks; she sent a squadron to support the rising which she had been fomenting for some months past.
From A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times, Volume 6 by Robert Black
Nor was the Latin war, which had been fomenting for several years, any longer deferred.
From The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08 by Titus Livius
While the plot had been fomenting, and during its execution, these scurvy fellows had been of one mind, amenable to discipline, and entirely loyal to each other.
From The Pirate of Panama A Tale of the Fight for Buried Treasure by William MacLeod Raine
