govern
verb (used with object)
to rule over by right of authority.
had been governing
-
past perfect progressiveof govern.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.
Jiang and Zhu had been governing partners, the public faces of an era that opened China’s economy to private business and foreign capital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Australia and New Zealand were both part of the British Empire, but had been governing themselves for decades.
From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2013
Five years ago, the military men who had been governing Brazil since a 1964 coup decided that they would take major steps to return the country to civilian rule.
From Time Magazine Archive
In effect, she discarded the 1973 constitution, under which she had been governing for one month, and opted to convert herself into a revolutionary President by issuing what is now known as the Freedom Constitution.
From Time Magazine Archive
For some time dom Duarte had been governing the kingdom under the direction of John I., so affairs went on much as before.
From The Red Book of Heroes by Arthur Wallis Mills
