haunt
verb (used with object)
to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a spirit or ghost.
had been haunting
-
past perfect progressiveof haunt.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.
I said, giddy to have a break from home and the tornado of emotions that had been haunting me all day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Another local resident said the building had been "haunting us every day".
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2025
Manchester wrote: “Yet he couldn’t rid himself of the recollection. The memory of the creature’s death had been haunting, and afterward he had relived” it with his wife, “to heal the inner scar.”
From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2014
That, at heart, was the question that had been haunting me.
From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2013
That was precisely the word that had been haunting me.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
