replace
verb (used with object)
to assume the former role, position, or function of; substitute for (a person or thing).
had been replacing
-
past perfect progressiveof replace.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.
In New Orleans, Juan Nasario said he had been replacing roofs during 12-hour shifts nearly every day since arriving from Guatemala four years ago, when he was 10.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 23, 2023
The investigation determined that the fire began inside a building at the boatyard where a worker had been replacing a boat’s gas tank.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2022
Since the late 1950s, adventurous artists had been replacing Picasso’s influence with that of Marcel Duchamp, master of visual puns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2020
Dyachenko said the company had been replacing several kilometers of aging pipe which carries waste -- known as tailings -- from the firm's plant to a reservoir where waste is stored.
From Reuters ● Sep. 15, 2016
Years later, I wondered if modern American society had been replacing a system of mythology and religious dogma with a system of reason as a way to explain ourselves and the world around us.
From Take Me for a Ride: coming of age in a destructive cult by Mark Eliot Laxer
