show
verb (used with object)
to cause or allow to be seen; exhibit; display.
had been showing
-
past perfect progressiveof show.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.
Mortgage rates ticked higher last week, continuing their march above 6% and potentially complicating the calculus for buyers and sellers at the beginning of a spring season that had been showing green shoots.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 12, 2026
An economy that had been showing tiny signs of life not long ago is in a free fall, predicted to contract 3% in 2026 with inflation to hit 682%, said the International Monetary Fund.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
At about 3:30 p.m., he said people had been showing up at the barricade for hours, confused.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2025
And she decides that the bacteria she’s going to target with her vaccine is hemolytic streptococcus, which had been showing up again and again in flu patients.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 19, 2023
Dallas had been showing one of the younger boys how to throw a tennis ball over the roof of the Boxton Creek Home.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
