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.
Observers said it looked like officials had again stepped in as the yen had been giving back the gains it enjoyed following a historic joint Japan-US intervention at the end of July.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
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
After exchanging strained smiles, we got down to business - and proved to them that the Security Service had been giving false evidence to the courts.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 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
