need
noun
a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation.
had been needing
-
past perfect progressiveof need.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.
As tears fell from my chin, I wondered how long they had been needing to come out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
Bottura decided that it gave the dessert exactly what it had been needing.
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2016
She had been needing more from me recently — not a confidant, exactly, but an enabler.
From New York Times ● Oct. 10, 2015
Feverishly, Mantle had been needing a 535th home run to outwrest Jimmy Foxx for the third rung on the ladder of saints.
From Time Magazine Archive
Francie got new shoes which she had been needing for a long time anyhow.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
