leap
verb (used without object)
to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump.
had been leaping
-
past perfect progressiveof leap.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.
Since his first glimpse of her in the hall, his feelings and ideas had been leaping and plunging like spirited horses.
From The Financier, a novel by Theodore Dreiser
What! more of this work—” For just then a tremendous outcry broke forth, and there was a rush and panic among those who had been leaping round the fire just before.
From The Armourer's Prentices by Charlotte Mary Yonge
She had been leaping so gallantly only five minutes before.
From Martin Hyde, the Duke's Messenger by John Masefield
The darkness cast a sad gloom over the scene, which a few hours before had been "leaping in light, and alive with its own beauty."
From Hatchie, the Guardian Slave; or, The Heiress of Bellevue by Warren T. Ashton
What! more of this work—” For just then a tremendous outcry broke forth, and there was a rush and panic among those who had been leaping round the fire just before.
From The Armourer's Prentices by W.J. Hennessy
