persuade
verb (used with object)
to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging.
had been persuading
-
past perfect progressiveof persuade.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.
Bunni, who helped gather witnesses to testify in these court cases, says one of his biggest challenges had been persuading frightened Syrians to go public.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2022
His top priority had been persuading state and city leaders to fund the agency’s roughly $29 billion capital spending plan to pay for the system’s maintenance and expansion.
From New York Times ● Jan. 2, 2017
Some of the neighbours had been persuading him the day before to employ a native doctor; he however refused, saying he would have no physician but Jesus Christ.
From Life of William Carey by George Smith
For fifty years he had been persuading himself that he was a righteous man, and the conviction was now so firmly impressed upon his very soul that nothing could ever shake it.
From The Firm of Girdlestone by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
He had been persuading himself that he loved her, and he had found keen joy in the misery into which he had worked himself, thinking that there was something ideal and noble in his attitude.
From The Main Chance by Meredith Nicholson
