pave
verb (used with object)
to cover or lay (a road, walk, etc.) with concrete, stones, bricks, tiles, wood, or the like, so as to make a firm, level surface.
had been paving
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past perfect progressiveof pave.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.
"Did you deliver your letter?" he asked, casually, but I saw in an instant that he had been paving the conversational way all along for that very question.
From The Devil's Admiral by Frederick Ferdinand Moore
Even before the King's visit to his dear Hanover the English Government had been paving the way for some of these new combinations and alliances.
From A History of the Four Georges, Volume I by Justin McCarthy
They would never have gone so far as this unless they had been paving the way for other fatal steps.
From The Letters of Cicero, Volume 1 The Whole Extant Correspodence in Chronological Order by Evelyn S. Shuckburgh
