regret
verb (used with object)
to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, disappointment, etc.).
had been regretting
-
past perfect progressiveof regret.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.
They had been regretting the effect of the fright of the evening upon their children—Vi especially as the one predisposed to undue excitement of the brain—yet hoping it might not prove lasting.
From Elsie's Motherhood by Martha Finley
"Before you came I had been regretting that you happened to be out to-day."
From Middlemarch by George Eliot
A few moments before Elizabeth had been regretting the imminent descent of wealth upon her brother.
From Uneasy Money by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
The young Irishman smiled encouragingly, as though he had been regretting that this pretty girl refused to talk.
From Vignettes of Manhattan; Outlines in Local Color by Brander Matthews
All the afternoon he had been regretting his hasty words, and reproaching himself for want of forbearance towards his impetuous girl-wife.
From More about Pixie by William H. C. Groome
