invent
verb (used with object)
to originate or create as a product of one's own ingenuity, experimentation, or contrivance.
had been inventing
-
past perfect progressiveof invent.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.
"I saw it to-night; he'd have liked to say something more if he hadn't been too proud to own that he had been inventing grievances."
From Great Uncle Hoot-Toot by Molesworth, Mrs.
There she heard the little horse-boy whistling and hissing after the manner of horseboys; and there she learned that Mrs. Score had been inventing an ingenious story to have her out of the way.
From Catherine: a Story by Thackeray, William Makepeace
It was a heaven-sent opportunity for Fisher, who had been inventing some excuse for leaving the house.
From The Clue of the Twisted Candle by Wallace, Edgar
What I had been doing was this: I had been inventing tales in which and by which I had tried to realise my boyish impressions of that wonderful magic Gwent.
From Far Off Things by Machen, Arthur
