smile
verb (used without object)
to assume a facial expression indicating pleasure, favor, or amusement, but sometimes derision or scorn, characterized by an upturning of the corners of the mouth.
had been smiling
-
past perfect progressiveof smile.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.
Arsenal's Mead last featured for England in November 2022 and said she had been "smiling like a Cheshire cat" since arriving to camp at St George's Park.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2023
Seager, who had been smiling as the reporter started talking, became visibly uncomfortable as the question unfolded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2023
Maybe it was a self-representation, and Robot had been smiling at itself all along.
From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2018
Nussbaum entered the graduate program in classics at Harvard, in 1969, and realized that for years she had been smiling all the time, for no particular reason.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 18, 2016
In fact, Jake’s mom had been smiling and tearing up ever since he told her he was on the school’s Quiz Bowl team.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
