shell
noun
a hard outer covering of an animal, as the hard case of a mollusk, or either half of the case of a bivalve mollusk.
had been shelling
-
past perfect progressiveof shell.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 Russians, who for a month had been shelling key energy lines feeding the plant, were shelling again, he was told.
From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
Her longtime housekeeper, a Central American immigrant and mom of four, had been shelling out $2,300 a month for an apartment on Georgia Avenue NW.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 16, 2022
At the conclusion of a 1968 tour of biblical sites in Israel, we learned that there had been shelling again on the Golan Heights.
From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2021
For ten years, Publisher George C. Kirstein had been shelling out his own money to keep the liberal weekly Nation alive.
From Time Magazine Archive
The medical officer of the dressing-station told me that only ten minutes before the enemy had been shelling the spot about a quarter of a mile farther on, which was our next point of inspection.
From On the Fringe of the Great Fight by George G. (George Gallie) Nasmith
