squat
verb (used without object)
to sit in a low or crouching position with the legs drawn up closely beneath or in front of the body; sit on one's haunches or heels.
had been squatting
-
past perfect progressiveof squat.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.
A Russian diplomat who had been squatting in protest near the site left in an embassy car after the ruling.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2023
According to neighbors, Mr. Irvin had been squatting in an abandoned house in the city of Lancaster, about 15 miles south of the zoo, where the tamarin monkeys were found earlier this week.
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2023
“Look at me,” she would say one day, as if the thought had been squatting at the back of her mind, and she wanted to express it before it got lost.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 14, 2018
When he arrived, Curry found a woman who started renting the house more than a year ago but had stopped paying and had been squatting there for months, he said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2016
He had been squatting motionless on his buttocks—tracing designs in the mud with his staff whilst his quick eyes looked slily from one speaker to another.
From Wang the Ninth The Story of a Chinese Boy by B. L. (Bertram Lenox) Putnam Weale
