roil
verb (used with object)
to render (water, wine, etc.) turbid by stirring up sediment.
had been roiling
-
past perfect progressiveof roil.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.
By this time, the Donatist controversy had been roiling North Africa for approximately a century.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
She also likely recognized the ways in which an account of that early dawn visitation would help resolve the personal crisis that had been roiling her domestic life for decades.
From Slate ● Nov. 17, 2011
My innards had been roiling since we’d left Kabul just after two in the morning.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
The gentle swell that had been roiling her slightly from abeam she now caught full under the bow, and she began to pitch, setting the foam aboil.
From Mayflower (Flor de mayo) A Tale of the Valencian Seashore by Arthur Livingston
