man
noun
an adult male person.
had been manning
-
past perfect progressiveof man.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.
About 300 yards from that base, at 31 Yablunska St., Ivan Skyba, a 43-year-old builder, and five other fighters had been manning a makeshift checkpoint when the Russians returned.
From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2022
It said the suspicious figures had been manning "military posts", but did not elaborate, and that the Israeli force had been operating within Israeli lines.
From Reuters ● Jan. 5, 2022
After nightfall, Afghan soldiers who had been manning checkpoints vanished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2021
At one point, nearly 20 officers who had been manning barricades suddenly bolted for an intersection across a street bridge over a freeway — where protesters shouted at and jostled with police already there.
From US News ● Mar. 11, 2016
He had been manning an observation post 5.7 miles from the mountain, but he had a college placement interview on May 18 in California, and so had left the site the day before the eruption.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
