languish
verb (used without object)
to be or become weak or feeble; droop; fade.
had been languishing
-
past perfect progressiveof languish.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.
“Her executive orders and directives, in terms of streamlining things, are real, and that has really expedited a lot of projects that had been languishing in the pipeline for a long time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2023
When Congress passed an omnibus spending bill in December, it included a bit of bipartisan climate legislation that had been languishing on the Hill since its introduction in 2020.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2023
Leclerc had been languishing about 0.5secs off Sainz's pace for most of the weekend and apparently struggling.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2021
The bill actually was introduced over a year ago but had been languishing in the state Legislature before being advanced Thursday by a state Senate committee.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 4, 2021
King Charles the 2nd, about a year after this time, pardoned near five hundred Quakers, who had been languishing in prison for not attending the church service.
From Works of John Bunyan — Volume 02 by John Bunyan
