hammer
noun
a tool consisting of a solid head, usually of metal, set crosswise on a handle, used for beating metals, driving nails, etc.
had been hammering
-
past perfect progressiveof hammer.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.
For 34 years, sickle cell disease had been hammering Jimi’s body and stealthily shredding his ambitions.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2023
Those hard-bitten reporters who had been hammering Coe were hugging each other and crying.
From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2012
The boy had been hammering when he injured his arm, Brodell said -- resulting in some bleeding, but the boy didn't know if anything had punctured the skin.
From Reuters ● May 18, 2011
Housing starts, which had been hammering along at a high annual rate of more than 2,000,000 units, fell victim to the money pinch; by November the rate had fallen to 1.7 million.
From Time Magazine Archive
The thing had been up now for two days, plus a bit and he had been hammering and climbing on it and it hadn’t gone back down.
From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
