quarrel
noun
an angry dispute or altercation; a disagreement marked by a temporary or permanent break in friendly relations.
had been quarrelling
-
past perfect progressiveof quarrel.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.
A little boy had been quarrelling with his sister named Muriel just before going to bed.
From Children's Ways by James Sully
But she looked very cross and disdainful and I knew the minute I saw her that she had been quarrelling with the young man.
From Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1907 to 1908 by L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery
"One would think, papa, that you and Mr. Brooks had been quarrelling," she remarked, tartly.
From A Prince of Sinners by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
Mr. Flexen thought that he might not have to go very far afield to find the woman who had been quarrelling with Lord Loudwater at a few minutes past eleven the night before.
From The Loudwater Mystery by Edgar Jepson
She must have thought we had been quarrelling desperately, and was evidently perplexed and disturbed at the circumstance; but she was too polite or too much afraid of her brother’s anger to refer to it.
From The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
