had been protecting
- past perfect progressive of protect.
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.
“It changed everything for me. I had been protecting her by not telling her.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
The Ukrainian soldiers who had been protecting the hospital had vanished.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2022
He suspended the authority of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and clumsily sacked federal officials in the South whom Stanton had been protecting.
From Washington Post ● May 24, 2019
Next door, a Chanel employee vacuumed shards of glass from the floor, while carpenters removed the plywood panels that had been protecting a Gucci shop.
From Reuters ● Dec. 2, 2018
The Athena Parthenos had been protecting the demigods, holding back the wrath of the earth, but even Athena’s might could only last so long against a primordial goddess.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
