sour
adjective
having an acid taste, resembling that of vinegar, lemon juice, etc.; tart.
had been souring
-
past perfect progressiveof sour.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.
Investors had been souring on the software sector since late last year, months before this week’s action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
The war came as the relationship between India and China had been souring over border tensions and meetings to resolve the disputes had been unsuccessful.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026
Public opinion in Ukraine toward China had been souring.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
The revelations also caused a further hardening in public attitudes towards offshore finance, which had been souring since the global financial crisis.
From Economist ● Nov. 6, 2017
Dietrich, the transparency activist, said he still supported WikiLeaks “in principle” but had been souring on Assange and his colleagues for a while.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 23, 2016
