insist
verb (used without object)
to be emphatic, firm, or resolute on some matter of desire, demand, intention, etc..
had been insisting
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past perfect progressiveof insist.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.
Despite his frail health, he had been insisting that he would participate in Monday's march to the parliament.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the agreement contains the same two limitations Anthropic had been insisting on.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
Abrams, had been insisting he needed to know Ava DuVernay long before their first meeting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2020
Until Saturday evening, China had been insisting on an immediate repeal of all tariffs as part of any deal.
From New York Times ● Dec. 2, 2018
Throughout the Adams presidency, Jefferson and his Republican followers had been insisting that the French Revolution was the American Revolution on European soil and that France was therefore America’s major international ally.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
