pepper
noun
a pungent condiment obtained from various plants of the genus Piper, especially from the dried berries, used whole or ground, of the tropical climbing shrub P. nigrum.
had been peppering
-
past perfect progressiveof pepper.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.
That group, one of the staff members said, had been peppering them with desperate requests.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2022
Jennifer Collins, a geosciences professor at the University of South Florida who lives in the Tampa region, said her neighbors had been peppering her with questions about storm threats and whether to evacuate.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 27, 2022
Adam Langley, 44, a construction worker, said his 13-year-old daughter had been peppering him with questions, among them: “Is it true that it can stay in your body for years, and make you sick later?”
From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2018
For the last 30 minutes Feherty had been peppering Knight with faintly impertinent questions about everything from his short game to the differences between golf and basketball.
From Golf Digest ● Feb. 12, 2013
The calm air was stirring, and pellets of frozen snow that had been peppering the icy landscape were now blown wildly about.
From The Tarn of Eternity by Frank Tymon
