gather
verb (used with object)
to bring together into one group, collection, or place.
had been gathering
-
past perfect progressiveof gather.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.
Overturning Balogun’s red card has rankled even some American soccer fans, who see the intervention as tainting a U.S. run that had been gathering momentum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Swalwell’s campaign had been gathering momentum over the last month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
Demonstrators had been gathering outside the terminal in Santarem, in northern Brazil's Para state, for a month before taking over company offices this weekend.
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
Crowds had been gathering since morning to pay their respects, with hundreds joining during the procession.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2025
Ever since Galileo first peered at the moon through his telescope, nearly four hundred years ago, we had been gathering facts about its pock-marked surface.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
