levy
noun
an imposing or collecting, as of a tax, by authority or force.
had been levying
-
past perfect progressiveof levy.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.
When King Olaf had rounded the Naze, he learned that his old enemy, Erling Skjalgsson, had been levying forces in considerable numbers.
From Canute the Great The Rise of Danish Imperialism during the Viking Age by Laurence Marcellus Larson
Instead of engaging workmen by contracts or wages, he assessed every county in England to send him a certain number of masons, tilers, and carpenters, as if he had been levying an army.
From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 13, No. 377, June 27, 1829 by Various
