strum
verb (used with object)
to play on (a stringed musical instrument) by running the fingers lightly across the strings.
had been strumming
-
past perfect progressiveof strum.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.
I knew my husband's whistle, and yet the fact of Hubert's room, the fact that Hubert had been strumming that tune, filled me, for the first time, with horror.
From Penelope Brandling A Tale of the Welsh coast in the Eighteenth Century by Lee, Vernon
On his knee rested a mandolin which he had been strumming furiously for the past ten minutes.
From The Rover Boys on Snowshoe Island or, The Old Lumberman's Treasure Box by Stratemeyer, Edward
