had been inching
- past perfect progressive of inch.
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.
Four years in a row his son had been inching closer and closer to Canton but in the selection process ahead of four Super Bowls, the fateful Hall of Fame knock never came.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2022
Starbucks was one of the first companies to prompt customers to order from their phones, back in 2015; its mobile order rate had been inching up just 1 percentage point each quarter.
From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2021
Though she had been inching her way up the rankings for the past three years, she had given little indication that she was on the verge of a breakthrough of this magnitude.
From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2021
Now, a decade later, we had been inching closer together again, but she said, "you unsubscribed from me first."
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2021
Boaz had been inching away, as if he intended to run, and Clara silently cursed him.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
