Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Earlier, Moshi had been smoking out killer bees from their hive for honey.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2022
Holmes’s DNA was obtained when detectives conducting surveillance saw him toss out a cigar he had been smoking and a can of beer he had been drinking.
From Fox News ● Dec. 19, 2018
He did not offer a confession, but he left behind something nearly as damaging: his DNA on the butt of a cigarette he had been smoking.
From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2011
John J. Stinson, 68, said he had been smoking for more than three decades when he decided to apply for a job at Cleveland Clinic, helping incoming patients, nearly three years ago.
From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2011
He had been smoking when the others entered, and a half-consumed cigar lay on an ash-tray.
From The Bartlett Mystery by Louis Tracy
