hoe
noun
a long-handled implement having a thin, flat blade usually set transversely, used to break up the surface of the ground, destroy weeds, etc.
had been hoeing
-
past perfect progressiveof hoe.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.
Jim Dodge had been hoeing potatoes all day.
From An Alabaster Box by Stockton Mulford
Munro had been hoeing cotton in the field and had seen the lad as he passed.
From Brand Blotters by Clarence H. (Clarence Herbert) Rowe
"We haven't had much to eat from them yet," said Mother Blake, who had been hoeing among her carrots.
From Daddy Takes Us to the Garden The Daddy Series for Little Folks by Howard Roger Garis
All that time poor Julius had been hoeing away desperately upon the last row of his mother's potatoes, and she had been smiling at him from the window.
From The Junior Classics — Volume 8 Animal and Nature Stories by William Patten
Father Adolf came back from the garden, where he had been hoeing potatoes, to see the little procession start away for the hills.
From The Swiss Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
