peel
verb (used with object)
to strip (something) of its skin, rind, bark, etc..
had been peeling
-
past perfect progressiveof peel.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.
Lime said vandals had been peeling the stickers off.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2021
In the riverside town of Corning, many homes looked empty, with paint that had been peeling for years, maybe decades, warped wooden porches and roofs with shingles flaking off.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2020
For about a year, the skin on my hands had been peeling, monthly.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 15, 2015
Suddenly, she threw the potato she had been peeling into the fire.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
He closed his jack-knife with a snap, threw away a pine stick from which he had been peeling shavings, and turning his sky-blue eyes on the sheriff, “I remember––” he began.
From When the West Was Young by Frederick R. (Frederick Ritchie) Bechdolt
