give
verb (used with object)
to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow.
had been giving
-
past perfect progressiveof give.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.
Not so long ago, F1 had been giving away its U.S. broadcast rights free, simply in the interest of having a television foothold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
ADP had been giving the Fed weekly data on the labor market, according to speeches from Fed officials over the past few years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2025
Up to this point, the government had been giving migrants 24 hours’ notice ahead of their deportation to El Salvador.
From Slate ● May 21, 2025
He said this may have been because she was vegan and due to the diet they had been giving her.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2025
We were sitting on the grass after a rounders match and Miss Lucy had been giving us a typical talk on smoking when Marge suddenly asked if Miss Lucy had herself ever had a cigarette.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
