look
verb (used without object)
to turn one's eyes toward something or in some direction in order to see.
had been looking
-
past perfect progressiveof look.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.
Among the 21 newlyweds that year were Amber Carroll Tyrell and Josh Mayer, who had been looking at a wedding costing upward of $50,000 when they saw the $350 price tag at Outside Lands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Analysts had been looking for a loss of just 5 cents a share.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Analysts tracked by FactSet had been looking for annual revenue of $12 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Cusack, the inquest heard, told her girlfriend before her death that she wanted to move to Dubai and be a flight attendant, and had been looking for a new job online.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Then finally they reached the place she had been looking for.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
