inhale
verb (used with object)
to breathe in; draw in by breathing.
had been inhaling
-
past perfect progressiveof inhale.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.
It is not clear how long the man in the engine compartment had been inhaling noxious fumes for.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2015
She closed her eyes once more and took deep breaths of the sweet air her brother had been inhaling three hours ago.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
There, with faces held close to the boards, they lay drinking in grateful breaths of the smoke-poisoned air, which, after what they had been inhaling, was fresh and sweet.
From The New Boy at Hilltop by Ralph Henry Barbour
Having risen in the morning, he was dressing himself in a leisurely, methodical fashion, when his host, who had been inhaling the morning breeze, thrust his head through the window.
From The Firm of Girdlestone by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
About thirty yards from the corner of the house stood a clump of odorous laurels, the scent of which we had been inhaling while we sat at tea.
From Poison Island by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
