separate
verb (used with object)
to keep apart or divide, as by an intervening barrier or space.
had been separating
-
past perfect progressiveof separate.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.
The most controversial of Shanghai's practices had been separating coronavirus-positive children from their parents, though authorities have since made some concessions.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2022
He had been separating, unconsciously, ecclesiasticism from Christianity.
From A Gamble with Life by Silas K. (Silas Kitto) Hocking
With a deftness I have never seen equaled, she had been separating joints and carving great slices of the rich dark meat, sending savory odors steaming up into my nostrils.
From The Rose of Old St. Louis by Mary Dillon
