Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The former presenter said producers had been inviting him to audition for America's Got Talent since 2020, but he always felt it sounded like "a massive risk" and his "gut instinct was always no".
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
In an interview last month, Luthi said he had been inviting the head of Interior to address his members “twice a year” since 2010.
From Washington Post ● May 19, 2017
Zambia had been inviting pressure onto them until that point and were unable to change the pattern of the game thereafter.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2015
After dinner it turned out that she had been inviting the Vannecks to go on to Melrose and Edinburgh in Old Blunderbore, without consulting the chauffeur-owner of the car.
From The Heather-Moon by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson
All her life Elizabeth had been inviting this moment; and the moment, when it came, was her Day of Judgment.
From The Iron Woman by Margaret Wade Campbell Deland
