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.

This suggests the outbreak had been spreading undetected for months.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

By then the disease had been spreading for weeks, if not months, making containment to one state impossible.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 28, 2025

This year, the gains had been spreading out.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2024

Last summer, the highly contagious strain of avian influenza that had been spreading through North American birds made its way into marine mammals, causing a spike in seal strandings along the coast of Maine.

From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2023

Word had been spreading throughout the school—the kid had refused to sell the chocolates in direct defiance of The Vigils.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier