skirt
noun
the part of a gown, dress, slip, or coat that extends downward from the waist.
had been skirting
-
past perfect progressiveof skirt.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.
They had been skirting the edge of a wood, when suddenly the trees fell away and Jimbo gave a scream and rose fifty feet into the air with a single bound.
From Jimbo A Fantasy by Algernon Blackwood
Hitherto, although we had been skirting the Vaudois territory, we had not set foot upon it.
From Pilgrimage from the Alps to the Tiber Or The Influence of Romanism on Trade, Justice, and Knowledge by James Aitken Wylie
While conversing, the two had been skirting the circus grounds, and now they came to a halt near a lemonade stand.
From Leo the Circus Boy by Edward Stratemeyer
Tommy had been skirting the edge of one of the "pleathant nightmareth" she had prophesied for the girls on retiring.
From The Meadow-Brook Girls Afloat by Janet Aldridge
The country beyond was found to be higher and more interesting than the almost uniformly low shores of the Gulf they had been skirting for so many hundreds of miles.
From Early Days in North Queensland by Edward Palmer
