play
noun
a dramatic composition or piece; drama.
had been playing
-
past perfect progressiveof play.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.
The boy later told them at a meeting he had missed school because he had been playing football on his own in a park but train tickets to Ayr were found on his phone.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The U.S. had been playing to reach its first World Cup quarterfinal since 2002.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
He had been playing as an outfield player at a community event organised by Carlisle.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
The Dodgers had been playing with fire all night, but they couldn’t regain momentum after Scott’s struggles, losing to the Phillies 4-3 to set up a Sunday series rubber match.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
From a distance it looked like I had been playing badminton and had a shuttlecock jammed up my nostril.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
