scoop
noun
a ladle or ladlelike utensil, especially a small, deep-sided shovel with a short, horizontal handle, for taking up flour, sugar, etc.
had been scooping
-
past perfect progressiveof scoop.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.
Flashlights, batteries and tape for windows were flying off shelves, but Gurnon said people were worried about flooding and had been scooping up sump pumps as well.
From Reuters ● Aug. 26, 2011
This officer, Claude was thinking, was a very different sort of being from the poor prisoners they had been scooping up like tadpoles from the cellars.
From One of Ours by Willa Sibert Cather
