Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The mayor then dodged a question about whether the governor had been needling him.
From New York Times ● Sep. 13, 2017
Since June he had been needling the defense Transportation Division to find them.
From Time Magazine Archive
Humphrey was joined by Indiana's Republican Homer Capehart, who had been needling Fulbright from the beginning.
From Time Magazine Archive
When Kennedy forswore golf except while on official vacations, the New York Post, which for years had been needling Republican Dwight Eisenhower for his golf, professed itself "dismayed."
From Time Magazine Archive
