roll
verb (used without object)
to move along a surface by revolving or turning over and over, as a ball or a wheel.
had been rolling
-
past perfect progressiveof roll.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.
I looked as if I had been rolling around in a giant ashtray.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons had been rolling coming into this one.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 21, 2023
He also appears to have exhausted business losses he had been rolling over year after year to reduce his taxable income.
From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2022
But for the Super Bowl, they cooked up three times that; orders had been rolling in since late January.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2022
We had been rolling for eight days when the train jerked hard and began to slow.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
