sparkle
verb (used without object)
to issue in or as if in little sparks, as fire or light.
had been sparkling
-
past perfect progressiveof sparkle.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.
Up until that point - he's been coaching for 39 years- his reputation had been sparkling.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 28, 2011
Just a few days earlier, Margaret Trudeau had been sparkling at a Hollywood party with a beau, Bruce Nevins, head of the company set up to make America fizz with French Perrier water.
From Time Magazine Archive
Her eyes had been sparkling, but now they snapped.
From The Furnace of Gold by J. N. Marchand
Both Karl and Caspar ate heartily enough,—quite as heartily as if a chandelier with its wax-lights had been sparkling over their heads.
From The Plant Hunters Adventures Among the Himalaya Mountains by Mayne Reid
"The fireflies had been sparkling and flashing lights all this time, and finally they whispered: "'Have a dance, all of you; we'll give you the light and dance too.
From Daddy's Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner
