kill
verb (used with object)
to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of; slay.
had been killing
-
past perfect progressiveof kill.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.
And though it was impossible to prove, he suspected the lightning flash of the fangs had been killing him at a glacial pace for decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
Mario Garcia and son-in-law Nivardo De La Torre had been killing time while waiting for their wives, police say.
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2023
In the 1990s, he helped create an inexpensive vaccine targeting the bacteria known as haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, which had been killing children under 5.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 18, 2022
It was being quiet that was killing me, the way it had been killing all the women that reached out to me.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2019
Actually, his back had been killing him lately.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
