strike
verb (used with object)
to deal a blow or stroke to (a person or thing), as with the fist, a weapon, or a hammer; hit.
had been striking
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past perfect progressiveof strike.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.
Five workers at a western Iranian sugar factory who had been striking for better pay were released late Tuesday, according to the Free Workers’ Union of Iran, the country’s main federation of independent trade unions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
Pilots at Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, who had been striking every Monday and Friday since Feb. 27, went on a daily indefinite strike from June 6 amid a pay dispute.
From Reuters ● Jun. 20, 2023
The Abellio drivers in two south London depots had been offered a 12% pay rise and a £500 bonus - splitting opinion among drivers, who had been striking without full pay for 10 days.
From BBC ● May 25, 2023
He told the broadcaster the "NHS needs to be rebuilt with billions and billions" and that nurses who had been striking over the last two months over pay were "not asking for much".
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2023
The blows of the short, tumbling seas were as severe as if she had been striking on a submerged rock.
From In Search of the Castaways; or the Children of Captain Grant by Jules Verne
