slave
noun
a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another and forced to provide unpaid labor.
had been slaving
-
past perfect progressiveof slave.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.
In fact, she "had been slaving over it for three years".
From The Guardian ● Mar. 10, 2013
She had washed a cap and had been slaving since the morning over the holes of an old dress, wishing to look decent.
From L'Assommoir by Émile Zola
He had been slaving over the problem with the sacrificial zeal that characterizes all keen chemists.
From The Rapids by Alan Sullivan
I had been slaving at canteen work all day"—she turned to Mrs. Friend—"and doing chauffeur by night—you know—fetching wounded soldiers from railway stations.
From Helena by Mrs. Humphry Ward
Now, here was this man actually turning a poor lad adrift without a copper, after he had been slaving aboard his ship for more than four mortal months.
From Redburn. His First Voyage by Herman Melville
