intimidate
verb (used with object)
to make timid; fill with fear.
had been intimidating
-
past perfect progressiveof intimidate.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.
Even if the call had been intimidating, the judge wrote in his ruling, he was not convinced that such a call “would have chilled a person of ordinary firmness from exercising their First Amendment rights.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
But Mr Thompson said his experience of being stopped had been "intimidating" and "aggressive".
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2025
And yet, for decades, the Bureau had been intimidating and arresting physicians until they tried it with the esteemed Vincent Dole.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 13, 2023
Shen told Reuters last week she believed the authorities had been intimidating her parents to get her to stop her activism.
From Reuters ● Aug. 16, 2018
Percy had been intimidating enough before - summoning hurricanes, duelling pirates, killing giants in the Colosseum...
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
