rise
verb (used without object)
to get up from a lying, sitting, or kneeling posture; assume an upright position.
had been rising
-
past perfect progressiveof rise.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.
This month’s sentiment decline in Germany was driven mainly by lower income expectations, which had been rising in recent months, and a greater willingness to save, the survey showed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Before the latest figures, rates of suspensions and exclusions in England's schools had been rising since before the pandemic.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Temperature readings had been rising steadily over the weekend, reaching 100 degrees.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
The yield on the 2-year Treasury note had been rising Monday on inflation fears after oil prices surged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
That would mean sending workers into the reactor building, where the radiation levels had been rising.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
