skim
verb (used with object)
to take up or remove (floating matter) from the surface of a liquid, as with a spoon or ladle.
had been skimming
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past perfect progressiveof skim.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.
He retired more than a hundred generals who had been skimming money from troop contracts.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 27, 2016
She who had been skimming along on life’s turning but never-changing periphery had to be ready to be a “buddy” by day and maybe by night.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
It was in the papers which Herman had been skimming through for hours; Sofie had told her; his own letter informed her of it.
From Majesty A Novel by Louis Couperus
Elsa, who had been skimming the document with raised eyebrows, now read it out in its spacious entirety.
From The Prince and Betty by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
“I won’t wait any longer; I was up first;” and she banged down the circulating library novel she had been skimming.
From A Double Knot by George Manville Fenn
