intercept
verb (used with object)
to take, seize, or halt (someone or something on the way from one place to another); cut off from an intended destination.
had been intercepting
-
past perfect progressiveof intercept.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.
The system had an estimated 60,000 users when it shut down abruptly in June 2020, and Europol revealed the following month that law enforcement officials had been intercepting users' communications for months.
From Reuters ● Jun. 27, 2023
The task force had been intercepting his phones for almost a year, and the F.B.I. had been investigating him even longer.
From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2022
The soldier insisted that his unit had been intercepting discussions by Romanian and Polish soldiers, not Ukrainians, on their radios.
From New York Times ● Oct. 2, 2022
All summer, U.S. intelligence agencies had been intercepting rumors from Pakistani officials about a possible coup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2016
"I remember now that Davidson told the others he had been intercepting my letters from the Company, and I suppose he got yours too."
From The Claim Jumpers by Stewart Edward White
