strain
verb (used with object)
to draw tight or taut, especially to the utmost tension; stretch to the full.
had been straining
-
past perfect progressiveof strain.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.
He said the UK had been "straining every sinew" to get aid into Gaza and that it "must be flooded in".
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024
For weeks before the latest extreme weather kicked in, unusually heavy floods and an atypically early heat wave had been straining harvests and making life difficult.
From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2023
Meantime U.S. citizens in the stands, and there were many, had been straining their eyes for the silks of Billy Barton, the only U.S.-bred horse in the race.
From Time Magazine Archive
For an hour Rosendo had been straining his eyes toward the right bank of the river, and as he gazed his apprehension increased.
From Carmen Ariza by Charles Francis Stocking
The blow had been given now, towards which he had been straining all the force of nerve and muscle—and what was the good of it?
From Adam Bede by George Eliot
