hover
verb (used without object)
to hang fluttering or suspended in the air.
had been hovering
-
past perfect progressiveof hover.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.
Temperatures at Charles de Gaulle had been hovering at around 18 degrees in the late afternoon, according to Weather Underground data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
A year earlier, at an event in New Hampshire, he met a fellow backstage who had been hovering around the fringes of politics for a while.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2025
Bass wouldn’t get more precise, other than to say it had been hovering above 1,500 a few days earlier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
It had been hovering for weeks near 34-year highs.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
"Well, you ought to see her. She's----" Tom Buchanan who had been hovering restlessly about the room stopped and rested his hand on my shoulder.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
