pluck
verb (used with object)
to pull off or out from the place of growth, as fruit, flowers, feathers, etc..
had been plucking
-
past perfect progressiveof pluck.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.
Throughout, Douglas, with a strained face, had been plucking at his principal's arm.
From The Clarion by William Dodge Stevens
He was at this juncture greatly enraged with some of his soldiers who had been plucking green apples.
From Campaigns of a Non-Combatant, and His Romaunt Abroad During the War by George Alfred Townsend
She was plucking a geranium—the flower she had been plucking some years before, when Edward said he loved her.
From Handy Andy, Volume 2 — a Tale of Irish Life by Samuel Lover
Already strong hands had been plucking me back from the ship's side; and now a thunderbolt seemed to strike me; I saw a great flash of fire, and fell senseless.
From Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
He had been plucking fiercely at his black beard and hair all the time; now he suddenly plucked them off and flung them like moulted feathers in the mire.
From The Ball and the Cross by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
