incubate
verb (used with object)
to sit upon (eggs) for the purpose of hatching.
had been incubating
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past perfect progressiveof incubate.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.
“We are now taking the foundry part of what we had been incubating and creating that as a resource” for the U.S. government, he said.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
The enthusiastic reaction to Google’s fake “Pokemon Challenge” video resonated within Niantic Labs, a little-known startup that had been incubating within the company - particularly with its founder John Hanke.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 22, 2016
The enthusiastic reaction to Google’s fake “Pokemon Challenge” video resonated within Niantic Labs, a little-known startup that had been incubating within the company — particularly with its founder John Hanke.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 22, 2016
The female-female pairs had been incubating eggs together, rearing chicks and just generally passing under everybody’s nose for what you might call “straight” couples.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2010
Something there triggered the unfolding of those parts that had been incubating.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
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